Biggie Irie
Biography
Standing on a foundation of award winning hit singles, and two coveted titles of International Groovy Soca Monarch 2007 and reigning Barbados Sweet Soca Monarch 2014 Biggie Irie, affectionately called the Big Poppa of Groovy Soca and Lovers Rock, walks into the new millennium of music as a certified crowd pleaser, and a man of action when performing on stage.
Born Carlton Cordle in the United Kingdom, but widely known throughout Barbados and the world by his stage name “Biggie Irie” or simply “Biggie”, Irie moved to Barbados at the age of three and has since been integrated into the Caribbean lifestyle, allowing him to be surrounded by the passionate sounds of Soca and Reggae. Known for his sugary-sweet vocals and commanding presence on stage, Biggie Irie has been in the business for many years. His long, successful career in music, which sees him celebrate his 30th anniversary in 2015, has allowed him to tour all fifty states of America, Canada, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and several Caribbean islands.
In Biggie’s career he has been a part of and accompanied several reputed and successful Caribbean bands. Irie toured extensively with the Splash Band, Biggie Irie and the Israelites, and later with Spice and Company, including two visits to Jamaica – one for Reggae Sunsplash and the other for Byron Lee’s Jamaica Carnival in 1997. While in Jamaica, Biggie developed his fan base via his performances, and appeared onstage with internationally renowned artistes such as Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond, Garnet Silk and Byron Lee & The Dragonaires to name a few.
As Biggie embraced his passion for Lovers Rock, he recorded the songs Ten Tons Of Love, Crazy For You, Where Is The Love, and No More Crying with producers Kurt Riley, Stephen “Di Genius” Mc Greggor and De Red Boyz.
Biggie’s debut CD, ‘An Introduction to Biggie Irie’ was released in 1999, which was followed by his Sophomore album ‘Where is the Love’ in 2003. Both albums solidified Biggie’s career,
and allowed the artist to tour on the Spirit of Unity Tour, which was joined by Third World, Steel Pulse, and Joseph ‘Culture’ Hill. He appeared at Reggae on the River, and also performed in an all star Reggae band that appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Locally, Biggie Irie has entered the Sweet Soca Competition, one of the premier events of the Crop Over season, on four occasions. Each time he made the finals, placing 2nd in 2011, 5th in 2012, 2nd in 2013 and taking home the crown in his 2014 performance of a Jason Shaft Bishop penned song, PANKATANG. His releases for Crop Over throughout the years are still in heavy rotation across Barbados, the Caribbean, USA and the UK, with hits like “Big Girls”, “Cyaan Be Over”, and “Need A Riddim” to name a few.
On a regional level, Biggie achieved a monumental feat by becoming the first, and to date, only non-Trinidadian to claim the International Groovy Soca Monarch Title in 2007 held in Trinidad, with his hit song “Nah Going Home”. Subsequently, Biggie has entered the competition an additional four times, each time successfully emerging as a finalist, and the only to achieve such from his homeland, Barbados.
To catch Biggie performing in Barbados you can visit hotels and venues such as Fairmont Royal Pavilion, Colony Club, Blu Bench Bar, Tamarind Hotel, Blakeys On The Boardwalk and West Bar Limegrove with Guitarist Scott Galt of (De Red Boyz) and also with Keyboardists Leonard Griffith & Darien Bailey singing from Sam Cooke to Bruno Mars to very appreciative audiences. He also continues to perform and host events around the world including venues in Bermuda, Miami, Trinidad, Costa Rica, the UK, Canada and the Caribbean.
