Brown Sugar (group)

Brown Sugar
Caron Wheeler – Pauline Catlin – Carol Simms
Background information
Origin	London, United Kingdom
Genres	Reggae, lovers rock
Years active	1976–1983
Labels	Lover's Rock, Studio 16, Decca
Past members	Pauline Catlin Caron Wheeler Carol Simms

Brown Sugar was a London-based British female vocal group who formed in 1976. The members were Pauline Catlin, Caron Wheeler and Carol Simms. Although short lived, the trio were influential and enjoyed unprecedented success topping the British Reggae charts on three occasions.

Catlin and Wheeler attended the same school and often sang together for fun with Catlin coaching Wheeler in the art of harmonies. Inspired by many of the groups and artistes from the 1960s and early 1970s, they practised diligently together and went on to win a singing competition at the Bali Hai nightclub that stood next door to the Streatham Ice Rink in London. Bali Hai was synonymous with reggae music in the mid-1970s with one of the top-ranking sound systems in South London, Soferno B, taking a residence in the club on Sunday nights. The singing contest was organised circa 1976 by Castro Brown, a relative of Jamaican singing sensation Dennis Brown and the same partnership went on to establish a reggae record store and record label in South West London.

Catlin came across an article in the local press about a young girl named Carol Simms who wanted to be a singer and could play the piano. She made contact with her and they agreed to meet. Catlin convinced Simms to join her and Wheeler to form a singing trio, mirroring the American black girl groups of the 1960s like The Shirelles, The Crystals, The Ronettes and The Chantels. Catlin's mother came up with the name "Brown Sugar" as she said their skin tones were a natural shade of brown just like sugar or molasses from the Caribbean.

The group was recruited to the newly formed record label instigated by Dennis Harris, John Kpiaye and Dennis Bovell. Dennis Harris chose 'Lover's Rock' as the name of the record label, taken from the title of an Augustus Pablo track. The record label title became the adopted name for the genre of music.

Brown Sugar's first release in 1977 (and the first on the Lover's Rock label) was "I'm in Love with a Dreadlocks", written by guitarist John Kpiaye. The song married a rootsy theme that was proud of identity with the sentiments of a love song. It was a massive hit with sound system owners and reggae lovers and went on to reach the top spot in the British reggae charts. Further releases included a version of the Barbara Lewis 1963 Billboard chart-topper "Hello Stranger", and the enormous-selling "Black Pride", a classic song penned by Kpiaye that celebrated in no uncertain terms the colour of black skin.