Noel McKoy

Noel McKoy (c. 1961 – 3 November 2022) was a British soul music singer. His music was a collection of soul, gospel, funk and Northern soul.[1] McKoy created, produced and presented the Dutch Pot new artist nights in London – which ran for five years. Over 300 artists including Hill St. Soul, Shaun Escoffery, Michael Jackson (writer), and Jeffrey Williams gave early performances at these nights – which proved to be pivotal to their later careers. International names topping the bill included Omar, Lynden David Hall, and Def Jam's Tashan.[2]

Noel McKoy
Bornc. 1961
London, England
Died3 November 2022 (aged 60)
London, England
GenresSoul
Occupation(s)Singer

McKoy cited his influences as The Beatles, Dennis Brown, Chaka Khan, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela.[3]

Biography

Born in South London, McKoy fronted the James Taylor Quartet in the early 1990s and has duetted with Juliet Roberts, Mica Paris, Vanessa Simon, Beverley Knight, and Ebony Alleyne. He released five solo albums and, in 2007, he recorded new songs for the record producer Ian Levine's Northern Soul 2007 and Disco 2008, the latter also featuring his sisters.

In 2018, he was interviewed for the documentary Battersea Junction - Stories from the Winstanley and York Road Estates which was put together by Wandsworth Heritage Service and Year 6 children from Falconbrook Primary School. The programme was shown on Together TV[4] and featured the McKoy and Colorman track "Family 2000" as part of its soundtrack.[5][6][7][8]

McKoy died on 3 November 2022, at the age of 60.[9][10]

Music career

McKoy's musical journey started when he and his siblings released the songs "I'm Lucky" and "Family" in 1989. His first album, Full Circle – Within A Social Soul was released in 1993, followed four years later by Mind Is the Keeper. In 1998, he owned his own record label, Right Track Records, and released his third album, Please Take This Personal. His fourth solo album, Brighter Days, was released in 2009 on soul label Tri-Sound, and featured the singles "Jealousy" as well as the title track. As recently as 2021, he teamed up with ex-UB40 sax player, Brian Travers, and reggae-fusion trumpet player Patrick Anthony Tenyue to release the self-penned track, "Liberation", for TEK2 Productions.[1]

Albums
  • Full Circle – within a spiritual social soul (1993) (as 'McKoy')
  • Mind Is the Keeper (1997)
  • Please Take This Personal (1998)
  • Brighter Day (2009)
  • Cut From The Same Cloth (2013) (as 'McKoy')
  • People Make Change (2019)

References
  1. "Noel McKoy". Itzcaribbean.com. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  2. "Studio Guest: Noel McKoy". Mi-soul.com. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  3. "Noel McKoy". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  4. "Battersea Junction". Togethertv.com. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  5. "Battersea Junction". Togethertv.com. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. "digital:works | Documenting life-stories through creative participation". Digital-works.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  7. "Winstanley Stories: An Oral History of the Winstanley Estate". Digital-works.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  8. "About Noel McKoy". Black Heroes Foundation. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  9. "British soul man Noel McKoy dies at age 62". Soultracks.com. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  10. Buckley, Bill (4 November 2022). "Noel McKoy dies …". Soulandjazzandfunk.com. Retrieved 13 November 2022.


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