BIG MOUNTAIN AT THE 24TH POL’AND’ROCK FESTIVAL

4 AUGUST 2018

Big Mountain are an American band known for their excellent cover of Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way”. The hit climbed the charts, becoming a top 10 single in the United States in early 1994. It also reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Mainstream Top 40 and number two in the UK singles chart.

In 1988, Joaquin “Quino” McWhinney, future Big Mountain leader, joined Shiloh. From a Mexican-Irish family, Quino had relatives playing in traditional Mexican mariachi bands. He became interested in reggae after watching a documentary about Bob Marley and Rastafari. In 1989, Shiloh signed a deal for their first album, “California Reggae”. Two years later, they became Big Mountain, taking the name of a Native American reservation in Arizona.

The original band line-up was:

- Quino (vocals),
– Lynn Copeland (bass guitar),
– Gregory Blakney (drums),
– Jerome Cruz (guitar),
– Mandfred Reinke (keyboards),
– Lance Rhodes (drums).

“Touch My Light”, from debut “Wake Up”, became Big Mountain’s first charting recording in 1993. Just before work on second studio album “Unity”, Blakney, Cruz, Reinke and Rhodes departed. Joining Quino and Copeland were Jamaican guitarist Tony Chin and drummer Carlton “Santa” Davis, keyboardists Michael Hyde and Billy “Bones” Stoll, and percussionist James McWhinney.

Following this drastic change of line-up, the band received frequent airplay on popular radio stations. Their recording of “Baby, I Love Your Way” appeared on the soundtrack of the cult film “Orbitowanie bez cukru” and reached the Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten at number six and the UK Singles Chart Top Three at number two. Big Mountain’s next single, “Sweet Sensual Love”, reached number 51 in the UK, while the album “Unity” sold millions of copies worldwide! Another Big Mountain recording, the single “Get Together”, also performed brilliantly in the singles charts, reaching the Top Five in Brazil and Norway.

The band appeared at two successive editions of Jamaica’s cult Reggae Sunsplash in 1994 and 1995. Further changes came in 1998: percussionist and drummer Paul “Groove Galore” Kastick replaced Davis and became principal producer. He oversaw the next six Big Mountain albums, released between 1998 and 2007. After a decade of constant recording and touring, the band paused activity in 2005.

During this period, Quino worked as a teacher at Olympian High School, which significantly improved its graduation results. Throughout the break, which lasted until 2013, the musicians occasionally reunited to play festivals or support worthy causes. In 2013, at Quino’s initiative, the band returned with a refreshed line-up. In 2016, they released “Perfect Summer”, their first album in 14 years, and embarked on a world tour.