Yvonne Curtis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yvonne Curtis
Yvonne Curtis in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Yvonne McIntosh
Born	Steer Town, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, West Indies
Genres	Reggae, roots reggae, calypso, lovers rock, soca
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1960–present
Labels	Digital Jukebox Records, Third World Music, Empire Records, Browns Music Records
Associated acts	Blak Prophetz

Yvonne Curtis (born Yvonne McIntosh) is a talented singer from Jamaica. She has lived in the United Kingdom since the early 1960s. Yvonne became the main singer for a band called The Serenaders. She often travels between the Caribbean Islands to perform her reggae and soca music.

Yvonne Curtis's Musical Journey

Yvonne Curtis was born and grew up in Jamaica. As a teenager in the 1960s, she moved from St. Ann's, Jamaica, to England. She wanted a better life and more education. Yvonne continued her music career from her new home in London. While studying in college in the 1970s, Curtis sang in many local bands. She then decided it was time to seriously follow her dream of singing.

Early Career: 1970s–1990s

Yvonne Curtis with the Serenaders in 1978

A music producer needed a singer to help with his project. A contest was held in South London. Yvonne was told to enter and came in second place. The producer was impressed and asked both her and her best friend to sing for him.

In the mid-1970s, Curtis joined a band called the Okendoes and Chalis. However, they did not find much success. After working on several small projects, she started working with Third World Music. This record label released her first song, "What's Your Name," which became a quick hit. She then signed with Empire Records in London. There, she released another popular song she wrote herself, called "Convenient Woman."

Later, Yvonne released her own song, "No Charge," with World Sounds Records. She then joined a successful reggae band called The Serenaders. Their first song was "Only for Lovers." Soon after, "Sweet Loving" became another big hit. Yvonne wrote this song, and it led to many requests for her to tour worldwide. In 1994, she traveled to Germany, Nicaragua, and Brazil. She gained many fans and performed on a TV show called Warehouse Showcase in London. In 1998, she appeared on The Big Breakfast on Channel 4. She also sang in songs by the Reggae Boys. During this time, she kept writing and recording music. She worked as a solo artist and with a band called 'Wavet'. They even performed at the famous Royal Albert Hall in London.

New Millennium: 2000s and Beyond

In the year 2000, The Serenaders band broke up after three members passed away. Yvonne went back to World Sound Records to record new songs. In 2013, she released an album called 'Lets Unite in Love'. This album was very successful and made her music popular around the world. In 2015, Yvonne joined Digital Jukebox Records. Her first release with them was a collection of her greatest hits. She also released a Christmas song mix. A music journalist named John Nolan praised her success in the United States. He said that Yvonne is a strong force in reggae music. He noted that she has released 11 albums and many singles since 1978.

Recent Years: 2020s

Yvonne Curtis now travels between Jamaica and London. She continues to release and write new songs with her producers at Digital Jukebox Records. In a radio interview, a presenter described her shows as "absolutely fantastic." He said that crowds would sing her songs back to her.

In a May 2020 interview, Yvonne talked about her global hit song "Sweet Sensation." She also spoke about meeting Mark Duffus, the owner of Digital Jukebox Records. Yvonne was a regular performer on the 1980s TV show The Warehouse. She is known as one of the hardest-working female reggae singers. Yvonne is excited about her future and performing again in South America. Her upcoming documentary, Untold Reggae, will share her life story.

The next month, she was interviewed for Future Topic magazine. She remembered performing at London's Royal Albert Hall for Barbados's independence. She performed with other famous Soca music artists.

In October 2022, Yvonne was featured in the Black History Month special edition of Vogue magazine. This was for her hard work in reggae music since the 1960s. She talked about her life in Jamaica and London over the years. Yvonne is one of the few original female reggae singers to be featured in Vogue magazine. She is currently guided by Mark Duffus. She performs yearly at the UK Reggae Land festival. There, she is called "The hardest working woman in Reggae."

Discography

Albums

• 1986 In the Country, Brown Records
• 1992 Yvonne Cutis & Wavet – Socca, Brown Records
• 1995 Best of Yvonne Curtis, Brown Records
• 1997 Yvonne Says Hello, World Sound
• 2000 Move On, Brown Records
• 2000 Yvonne Curtis 2000, World Sound
• 2002 Just as I Am-Gospel, World Sound
• 2004 Eternal Love, World Sound
• 2004 Walls of Tears, World Sound
• 2006 Table for Two, World Sound
• 2013 Let's Unite in Love, Brown Records
• 2014 Greatest Hits, Digital Jukebox Records

Singles

• 1978 "What's Your Name", Third World
• 1979 "Convenient Woman" b/w "Rather Go Blind", Empire Records
• (N/A) "No Charge", BB Records
• (N/A) "Only for Lovers", Brown Music
• 1983 "Road March-Socca", Brown Music
• 1985 "Sweet Loving", Brown Music
• 1986 "Bob Marley Medley", Brown Music
• 1987 "Harder They Come, Brown Music
• 1990 "Welcome Home", Brown Music
• 1993 "This Is a Letter", Brown Music
• 1999 "Don't Let Me Down", Jet Star
• (N/A) "Troubled in Mind", Brown Music
• 2015 Christmas Carols, Digital Jukebox Records
• 2017 "Far Away (From Your Heart)", Digital Jukebox Records
• 2018 "Dedicated to You", Digital Jukebox Records
• 2019 "Son of a Preacher Man", Digital Jukebox Records
• 2020 "Sweet Sensation" (remastered), Digital Jukebox Records
• 2022 "People Get Ready", Digital Jukebox Records
• 2022 "Open The Door To Your Heart" (remixed), Digital Jukebox Records

See also

• List of Jamaicans
• List of reggae musicians