LiveOne
Dave and Ansel Collins were a Jamaican reggae duo, formed in 1970. Dave Barker, born David John Crooks on October 10, 1947, in Kingston, Jamaica, began his music career in the 1960s as part of The Techniques and as a studio singer. Ansel Collins, born in 1949 in Jamaica, was a keyboardist who joined Barker to form Dave and Ansel Collins. Their breakthrough came with the single "Double Barrel", released in 1971. This track, featuring a simple piano riff and Barker's distinctive vocals, became an international hit, reaching Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart and entering the top 30 in several other countries, including Germany and the USA. The duo's follow-up single "Monkey Spanner" also achieved significant success, reaching the top 10 in the UK. Their debut album Double Barrel was released in 1972 and later reissued as The Heavy, Heavy, Monster Sounds of Dave & Ansel Collins. Despite their early successes, subsequent releases did not match the same level of acclaim. Barker continued his solo career, releasing albums such as Prisoner of Love (1970) and In the Ghetto (1975), while Collins returned to Jamaica to work as a studio musician with notable reggae artists like Sly & Robbie. "Double Barrel" has been covered and sampled multiple times, notably in Chaka Demus and Pliers' hit "Gal Wine", which reached the top 20 in the UK.
Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.
