In 1982 five school kids from Birmingham named Dennis, Michael, Kelvin, Patrick and Junior launched themselves on an unsuspecting public and into pop history as ‘Pass the Dutchie’ hit the number 1 spot on the charts within two weeks of release and went on to sell 4 million records all around the world.

‘Pass the Dutchie’ even went as far as reaching the Billboard 100 topping out at number 10 in the USA chart, becoming reggae music’s first top 10 hit in that country. For the next three years the hits kept on coming as the boys brought reggae out of the ghettos and into pop mainstream with singles like ‘The Youth of Today’, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘007’, ‘Tell Me Why’, and ‘Sixteen’ as well as two albums The Youth of Today’ and ‘Different Style’.

They toured and travelled throughout the world, worked and became friends with Michael Jackson, had Stevie Wonder write a song especially for them, Irene Carra (Flashdance) and Jody Wotley (Shalamar) both sang on Sixteen, while Latoya Jackson duetted with them. The band went on to record ‘Unconditional Love’, with disco diva Donna Summer and headlined at the Reggae Sunsplash and Montreaux Jazz Festival as well as being nominated for a Grammy Award as best newcomers in 1984.

In 1985 Musical Youth suddenly disappeared from the pop scene, neither performing on stage or recording.

However, the two original front men Dennis Seaton and Michael Grant [no longer the bouncing 12 year old piano player] stayed together, performed selected dates and for the past two years have been recording and producing a new show. The central point is a collection of new versions of the songs that were recorded by their reggae peers, those who most influenced them in the ten years leading up to “Pass The Dutchie” and who were to become their friends and colleagues and in many cases to go on and become Legends of Reggae.

When Reggae Was King will go on the road in 2011 with Michael and Dennis fronting their six piece Musical Youth with an album in the final production stages.