The Brand New Heavies

The Brand New Heavies are a British acid jazz, funk and jazz group from Ealing, London. They begin in 1985 as an instrumental act under the name Brother International, before adopting their later name after signing their first record deal. The new name comes from a James Brown liner note that refers to him as the “Minister of New Super Heavy Funk”.

Early years and London club scene

As The Brand New Heavies, the group builds a following in the London club scene and signs to Cooltempo as acid jazz takes hold in clubs. Their first recording appears in 1990 on Eddie Piller’s Acid Jazz label, with Jaye Ella Ruth on lead vocals. A single, “Got to Give”, follows on Cooltempo before they sign to Acid Jazz Records and release Brand New Heavies to strong critical response.

Breakthrough and shifting line-up

The band then signs to a UK division of Chrysalis Records, while American distribution is handled by Delicious Vinyl. N’Dea Davenport joins after signing an artist development deal with Delicious Vinyl, and a new version of the first album with her vocals is issued. With Davenport singing lead, “Dream Come True”, “Never Stop” and “Stay This Way” become hits in the UK and the US, and “Stay This Way” receives a video directed by Douglas Gayeton that gets heavy rotation on MTV.

A performance in New York with MC Serch and Q-Tip leads the group to bring more hip hop into its sound. The next album, Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, includes collaborations with Guru of Gang Starr and The Pharcyde, among others, and does not feature female vocals.

Albums in the 1990s and 2000s

While managed by Colin Lester and Ian McAndrew’s Wildlife Entertainment, the band releases Brother Sister in 1994. It is the last album for a time to feature N’Dea Davenport, who leaves to finish a solo album she had put on hold to join the group. The album produces several singles, including a cover of Maria Muldaur’s “Midnight at the Oasis”, which becomes a UK-only hit because it is not on the US edition.

Siedah Garrett joins for Shelter in 1997. The album includes “You’ve Got a Friend”, a Carole King song made famous by James Taylor, and “Sometimes”, another hit for the group. A remix of “Sometimes” includes rap vocals from Q-Tip. In 2000, the band releases the best-of set Trunk Funk - The Best of The Brand New Heavies, with Carleen Anderson singing on newly recorded tracks.

Later releases include the Japan-only We Won’t Stop in 2003, which features a range of vocalists, and Allaboutthefunk in 2004, with British singer Nicole Russo on vocals. In 2006, the group reunites with N’Dea Davenport and with Delicious Vinyl. Get Used to It follows, recorded in New York and London, with “I Don’t Know Why (I Love You)” as the lead single and mixes by Tom Moulton. Their song “Jump ’N’ Move” appears on the soundtrack to the animated film Happy Feet and on the in-game soundtrack to NBA Live 2005.

Later activity

The Brand New Heavies continue to tour and release live material, including Live at the Indigo2 in 2008. The group remains active and has included Ceri Evans, Lascelles Gordon, Jan Kincaid, Simon Bartholomew, Andrew Levy, Jaye Ella Ruth, Jim Wellman, N’Dea Davenport, Siedah Garrett, Carleen Anderson and Nicole Russo among its members.