BIOGRAPHY
196x
- Patrick Murray was born 1961, in London, England.
- Patrick moved to Birmingham, England when he was 8.
197x
- Patrick was a MC in his stepfather's V-Rocket Reggae Sound System.
- Patrick's stepfather (Lester Daley, a Jamaican DJ) named him "Pato" (Jamaican "wise" owl).
- Patrick was part of the Crucial Music band.
198x
- Pato won a talent contest judged by Roger "Ranking" Charlery and Dave Wakeling (of The English Beat). It was there that Pato and Roger became friends.
- Pato and Roger recorded the song "Pato & Roger A Go Talk" for The Beat's "Special Beat Service" album in 1982.
- Pato auditioned at Fashion Records. The producers renamed him Pato Banton (a "banton" is a heavy-weight lyricist).
- Pato recorded the song "Hello Tosh" (produced by Ranking Roger) in 1985. "Hello Tosh" was used on Toshiba's advertising campaign. It was number 3 in the independent reggae charts of the UK.
- Pato and Private Domain recorded the song "Absolute Perfection". It was number 1 in the music charts of Peru.
- Pato opened Ziggy Marley's North American tour in 1989.
199x
Pato Banton
Photo from "Wize Up!" (1990)
- Pato and David Hinds (of Steel Pulse) recorded the song "Wize Up! (No Compromize)" for Pato's "Wize Up!" album in 1990.
- Pato and Roger recorded the song "Bubbling Hot" for Pato's "Universal Love" album. "Bubbling Hot" was top 20 in the music charts of the UK.
- Pato, Ali Campbell and Robin Campbell (of UB40) recorded a cover version of Eddy Grant's song "Baby Come Back" for Pato's "Collections" album in 1994. "Baby Come Back" was number 1 in the music charts of the UK for 4 weeks and top 5 in more than 20 countries.
- Pato and Sting recorded a remix version of Sting's song "This Cowboy Song". It was top 10 in the music charts of the UK and South America.
- Pato and Sting recorded a cover version of The Police's song "Spirits In A Material World" for Pato's "Stay Positive" album.
200x
- Pato recorded the song "Drive-By Shooting" after 2 of his sons were shot accidentally in a drive-by shooting in Birmingham in 2000.
- Pato's "Life Is A Miracle" album was nominated for the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2001.
- Pato and Viv Taylor (of the Community Safety in Handsworth) started the Muzik Links community project in 2001.
- Pato started the School of Musical Arts and Technology in Birmingham in 2002. "I reached a point where I was fulfilled with my career and considered slowing down. My studio here in Birmingham was next to the local community centre. Every day kids would knock on the door wanting to come in and see what I was doing. I wanted to work with them, to teach them and give them opportunities to make music. It's been an amazing journey. We are tapping into what is inside the students already, bringing it out. We are working with some outstanding talent. It's so rewarding. Music gives them something to focus their energy on."
- Pato was awarded the BBC's Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to positive change.
- Pato was awarded the Black Music Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contribution to the British Music Industry.
Pato Banton At The Barfly (2006)
[LtR] Ranking Roger, Yaz Alexander & Pato Banton
Photo by
Andy Brouwer