Chaka Demus & Pliers
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus, and singer Pliers. Both artists were established musicians when they teamed up, and earned international recognition in the early 1990s. They were the first Jamaican act to have three consecutive top five hits on the UK Singles Chart; a record unsurpassed until Shaggy scored four consecutive top five hits in 2001. Their first hit "Tease Me" stayed in the top five of the UK Singles Chart, for three months in 1993, reaching number three for a number of weeks in July. After releasing a cover of the Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout", the song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, in early 1994. The re-release of their debut album Tease Me also charted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, in 1994. Chaka Demus & Pliers are best known for their 1994 single "Murder She Wrote", which was mainly popular in North America, the Caribbean, and the UK.
Current status
In 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers reunited to record a track called "Need Your Lovin" which was released on vinyl, on Explorer Records. This song has remained high on the Jamaican charts, and shows that the duo still have the chemistry to produce great old-fashioned dancehall. The track is unavailable in the UK at the moment, but may appear on the forthcoming Jetstar compilation album Reggae Hits Vol. 37. The track can be heard with an accompanying music video on YouTube.
On November 18, 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers performed "Murder She Wrote" alongside Alicia Keys at the 2007 American Music Awards.
