Members of the In Crowd Band: (From left) Richard Anthony Johnson, Fil Callender, Errol Walker, Barry Bailey and Cleveland Browne—-.THE In Crowd, a popular show and recording band from the 1970s, have reunited to record a new album.
There is no official release date or title for the set as yet, but to date over 17 tracks have been laid.
According to drummer/producer Cleveland Browne, the reunion is a long time coming.
“After all these years, this would be an excellent idea to do a recording as a gift to the fans. Not a giveaway, we gonna be selling it, of course,” he said.
The In Crowd have always had a revolving personnel. The current members are Browne, original member Fil Callender on guitar; Richard Anthony Johnson (keyboards), Errol Walker (vocals) and Barry Bailey (trombone).
Formed in the early 1970s at the height of the band craze in Kingston, the In Crowd boasted some of the best musicians in Jamaica, such as keyboardist Robbie Lyn, drummer Mikey ‘Boo’ Richards and Panama-born Callender, a former drummer who played on massive hits like the Abyssinians’ Satta Masa Gana.
The band recorded a handful of albums including Man From New Guinea and His Majesty is Coming, before disbanding in the early 1980s.
Browne, who joined in the mid-1970s, says their abrupt split cheated their fans. He believes members have matured and the songs on the album reflect that growth.
There are great expectations for Look At Me Now, a song Browne says speaks to the In Crowd’s history.
Commenting on the reunion, Callender stressed that a lot of time was spent in the studio being “very meticulous with the music, trying to prepare for a product that will be an extension of what we have done in the past.”
He praised Browne for getting the band together again.
“We wanted to do this for so many years, now we are able to do it,” he said.
For Browne — who had an amazing run as part of production duo Steely and Clevie during the 1980s and 1990s — the In Crowd have unfinished business to take care of.
“I believe that we have much more to offer,” he said.
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