Beggar and Co

Beggar and Co
Background information
OriginUnited Kingdom
GenresPop, jazz-funk, soul
Years active1980–present
LabelsEnsign, RCA
MembersKenny Wellington (trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals)
David Baptiste (saxophones, flute, vocals)
Breeze McKrieth (guitar, vocals)

Beggar and Co (also written Beggar & Co) are a British jazz-funk group formed by Kenny Wellington, David Baptiste and Neville 'Breeze' McKrieth, originally members of the group Light of the World.[1]

Overview

Beggar and Co's first single was "(Somebody) Help Me Out", which entered the chart on 7 February 1981. It peaked at number 15 and spent a total of ten weeks on the UK Singles Chart. Their second release was "Mule (Chant No.2)", which entered the UK Singles Chart on 12 September 1981, and reached number 37, remaining in the chart for five weeks.[2]

Beggar and Co was also the featured brass section on a number of chart records for other artists, both as a horn section or as individual musicians. Recorded studio sessions included Spandau Ballet's hit single, "Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)".[3] In 2007, the band released a live recording from The Jazz Cafe, Brass, Strings N' Things.[4]

Since 2016, Breeze McKrieth, Kenny Wellington, David Baptiste became part of a performing and recording collective, incorporating original members of Beggar & Co, Hi Tension and other members of bands from the genre to be known under the collective umbrella as the Brit Funk Association, performing material from the different repertoires of each band and releasing two albums Full Circle in 2018 and Lifted in 2020.[citation needed] In 2021 the band released the self titled album Beggar & Co on Expansion Records.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Monument (1981)
  • Sleeping Giants (2012) (Featuring the Funk Jazz Collective)
  • Beggar & Co (2021)

Singles

Year Title Label UK
[5]
1981 "Mule (Chant No. 2)" RCA 37
"(Somebody) Help Me Out" Ensign 15
"We All Work Out / Got to Get Away" RCA —
1983 "Anybody See My Trial" Polydor —
1986 "Life" Total Control —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

References

  1. ^ "Beggar & Co. (The Original Light of the World)". Summer Soulstice. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. ^ Rice, Tim; Rice, Jonathan; Gambaccini, Paul (1990), Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness World Records and Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-398-8
  3. ^ "The Story of 1981". Top of the Pops. 8 January 2016. BBC. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  4. ^ Ruhlmann, William (20 November 2007). "Beggar & Co – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  5. ^ "BEGGAR & CO - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2020.