Liz Mitchell
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Liz Mitchell | |
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British Jamaica | |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1960s–present |
Labels |
Elizabeth Rebecca Mitchell (born 12 July 1952)[2] is a Jamaican-British singer, best known as one of the original singers of the 1970s disco/reggae band Boney M.[1]
Early life
Mitchell was born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. At the age of eleven, Mitchell and her family emigrated to London, England, in 1963; her childhood home was in the district of Harlesden.[3] By the end of the decade, she auditioned for Hair and eventually moved to West Berlin to join the German cast where she replaced Donna Summer.[4] After Hair, Mitchell joined the Les Humphries Singers for a few years and represented West Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the Ralph Siegel title "Sing Sang Song". The band was then reduced to only six singers (Liz was not one of them) for the show (their usual line-ups consisted of 20 performers and up) and came in 15th place with only 12 points, which they regarded as their beginning of the end as a band.
Boney M.
A phone call from Katja Wolff agency in February 1976 persuaded Mitchell to return to West Germany to join a new group being assembled by record producer
Although Boney M was largely a Farian vehicle for his own songwriting, Mitchell is credited as co-composer of the Boney M song, "African Moon", which appeared on their album, Boonoonoonoos (1981).[citation needed]
Boney M. disbanded in 1986.[5]
After Boney M.
After the group split up shortly after their 10th anniversary in 1986, fellow group member Bobby Farrell convinced Mitchell, Maizie Williams and a replacement for Marcia Barrett to re-group for a tour in 1987. A recording contract for the group was also arranged. When Farrell and the replacement singer failed to show up for the rehearsals, Mitchell and Williams recruited singer Celena Duncan and dancer Curt Dee Daran for the tour. As Williams had never sung on Boney M.'s recordings, Mitchell ended up recording the scheduled album on her own.
However, it proved difficult for Mitchell to find a record label to release the album, entitled No One Will Force You. It was released in Spain in the Autumn of 1988, supported by the singles "Mandela" (a re-work of Boney M.'s 1979 hit "
At the same time, Simon Napier-Bell had produced a remix album of Boney M.'s greatest hits and wanted the original line-up to promote it. Mitchell reluctantly accepted the offer and Boney M. appeared together again on German and Dutch TV,[6] even though Mitchell's new line-up still had gigs to play.[citation needed]
The success of the remix album led Mitchell to sign her album for a French and Dutch release in 1989, and due to personal differences within the group, she eventually decided to focus on her solo career. Even though Madeleine Davis took her place in the group, Farian eventually called Mitchell back for a second remix album by the end of 1989 and also had her front a new Boney M. line-up for the single, "Stories", as an answer-back to an unofficial Boney M. single, "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker", recorded by the other three with Madeleine Davis, without Farian's approval.
In 1990, Mitchell re-formed her 1988 line-up with Patricia Foster replacing Celena Duncan and kept touring the
In 1996, Mitchell and her husband Thomas Pemberton[7] built the Dove House Studios and formed Dove House Records. With a newly founded fan club, Mitchell recorded an EP with four Christmas songs as a special Christmas gift for her fans.
In November 1999, Mitchell finally released her album Share the World, which had taken three years to complete. In November 2000, she released the seasonal album Christmas Rose which consisted of partly new material, including the title track, "Lord's Prayer" and "I Want to Go to Heaven" co-written by herself, part re-recordings of Boney M.'s
Mitchell, now a
She is still touring, billed as Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell.
In 2014 an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled at Mitchell's childhood home on Wrottesley Road in Harlesden, London, where her father still resided at this time. Mitchell now resides in Caversham, Reading.[9]
Discography
Albums
- No One Will Force You (1988, re-released 1989 and 1993)
- Share the World (1999)
- Christmas Rose (2000)
- Let It Be (2004)
- Liz Mitchell Sings the Hits of Boney M. (2005)
7" Singles
- "Got a Man on My Mind" / "Perfect" (Hansa 11 327 AT, West Germany 1977)
"Got a Man on My Mind" was taken from Boney M.'s 1976 album
- "Mandela" / "Reggae People" (Horus 50.067, Spain 1988)
- "Niños de la Playa" / "Time Is a River" (Horus 50.080, Spain 1988 / Mega Records MRCS 2354, Scandinavia 1988)
- "Mandela" / "Reggae People" (Dureco 11 008 77, Holland 1989)
- "Marinero" / "Love Is Bleeding" (Dureco 11 912 07, Holland 1989 / Tréma 410 478 PM 102, France 1989)
- "Mocking Bird" / "Tropical Fever" (Hansa 114 123-100, Germany 1991)
CD Singles
- "Mocking Bird" (Radio Version) 3:45 / "Tropical Fever" 3:55 / "Mocking Bird" (Club Mix) 5:25 (Hansa 664 123–211, Germany 1991)
- "Reggae People" 3:09 / "Mandela" 4:42 (CMC 4938-SCD, Denmark 1993)
- "Sunshine" (Radio Mix) (4:36) / (Club Mix) (5:50) / (Extended Radio Mix) (5:14)/ (Extended Club Mix) (5:19) (Dove House DHR 0003 CD, 1999)
- "Christmas Rose" (3:53) / 2. "Lord's Prayer" (3:53) (Dove House DHR 0004 CD, 1999)
- "Let It Be" (4:08) / "You're Excellent" (3:50) (Dove House DHR 0009 CD, 2004)
- "My Life Is in Your Hands" (5:04) / "I Want To Go To Heaven" (4:08) / "Share The World" (Remix) (4:26) / "When A Child Is Born" (3:40) / "Grandmother's Song" (4:27) (Dove House DHR 0012 CD, 2006)
References
- ^ a b Mellor, Jon (1 December 2001). "Hometruths: Liz Mitchell". The Mirror. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- IMDb
- ^ Raffray, Nathalie (13 December 2018). "Liz Mitchell: Harlesden's pop icon celebrates the 40th anniversary of Boney M's chart topping Mary's Boy Child". Kilburn Times.
- ^ "Boney M (Feat. Liz Mitchell)". NMPLive. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Boney M Frontman Bobby Farrell Died On Same Day As Rasputin". The Telegraph. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Boney M. - Rivers of Babylon (Remix '88)".
- ^ "Liz Mitchell Biography". Liz Mitchell Let It Be Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "My CMS | Original Boney M Lead Singer". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
- ^ Jordan, Karen (2 May 2014). "Boney M star Liz Mitchell honoured with blue plaque". BerkshireLive.