The trend also saw the emergence of many male groups, including Tradition, The Investigators and the Birmingham group Beshara, who in 1981, had the emotive reggae chart hit "Men Cry Too". Although noted for the preponderance and youth of its female exponents, the new style produced male stars as well, notably Honey Boy Martin, Trevor Walters, Honey Boy, and Winston Reedy. Neil "Mad Professor" Fraser would be a key lovers' rock producer, working with Deborahe Glasgow, while Bovell would produce one of the genre's biggest hits, Janet Kay's " Silly Games", which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979. Lovers' rock became a staple of London's sound systems such as Chicken Hi-Fi, Success Sound, and Soferno B. Others who released records in this subgenre included the Battersea songstress Winsome and Kofi. South London trio Brown Sugar (including a young Caron Wheeler, later of Soul II Soul) pioneered a subgenre, 'conscious lovers', with songs such as "I'm in Love with a Dreadlocks"(1977) and "Black Pride". Dennis Harris then set up a new record label, Lover's Rock, at his South East London Studio on Upper Brockley Road along with John Kpiaye and Dennis Bovell, which gave the new genre a name. This was followed by the husband and wife production team of Dennis and Eve Harris who then had a big hit with T.T.
They were headhunted by Neville King who produced their UK reggae chart hit "Black Is Our Colour". Simplicity formed in 1975 and released their first hit "To Be in Love" produced by Coxson the B-side was the Emotions US R&B song, "A Feeling Is a Feeling". This spawned the distinctive young girl female sound associated with early lovers' rock. Louisa Mark was aged 14 when she had a major lovers' rock hit with her version of Robert Parker's "Caught You in a Lie" in 1975. Rooted in the sound systems of South London, the style had particular appeal amongst women and produced many female stars including Carroll Thompson. It combined the smooth soul sounds of Chicago and Philadelphia soul with rocksteady and reggae bassline rhythms.
Ī style suited to the London reggae scene, lovers rock represented an apolitical counterpoint to the conscious Rastafarian sound dominant in Jamaica at the time, a continuation of the soulful and commonly love-themed rocksteady style, based on singers like Alton Ellis, who were not very optimistic about the rise of Rastafarian reggae. The roots of lovers' rock lies in the last days of the rocksteady era and early days of reggae, with Jamaican and American singers such as Ken Boothe, Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now"(1972) and John Holt enjoying international hits with versions of well-known love songs.
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