Heavy D
(born May 24, 1967) is the stage name of Dwight Errington Myers
, an American rapper and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz
, a hip hop group which included G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and Eddie F (born Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. [1] He has recently ventured into reggae music and can now be described as a reggae fusion artist.
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HEAVY D TICKETS
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Biography
Myers was born on
May 24 1967, in
Jamaica. His family moved to
Mount Vernon, New York, when he was a young child.
Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to
Uptown Records; their debut,
Living Large
, was released in 1987 (see
1987 in music). The album was a commercial success, though
Big Tyme
(1989,
1989 in music) was a breakthrough that included four hits.
Trouble T. Roy died at age 22 in a fall on
July 15 1990, in
Indianapolis (see
1990 in music). Dixon's passing led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album,
Peaceful Journey
(1991,
1991 in music).
Pete Rock & CL Smooth created a tribute to Trouble T. Roy called "
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" which is regarded as a hip-hop classic.
Heavy D & the Boyz gained even more fame by singing the
theme song for the
television program In Living Color
and also
MADtv
, and Heavy D performed the
rap on
Michael Jackson's hit single "
Jam." However, the group's next album,
Blue Funk
, was not marketed as well as their previous albums, but is widely viewed as an underrated gem. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in the television shows
Roc
and
Living Single
before returning the music charts with
Nuttin' But Love
(
1994). After appearing in the
off-Broadway play Riff Raff
at
Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit
Waterbed Hev
.
In 2005, the Will Smith movie "Hitch" played the song "Now That We Found Love" during the ending scene where a wedding party does a line dance, and gave Heavy D & the Boyz a lot of exposure, sending many viewers to the web to find out more about the song and the group.
He then appeared in the
motion picture 'Life"
, before joining the cast of the television show
Boston Public
. In 2002, Heavy D had a supporting role as an FBI agent alongside Omar Epps in the movie adaptation of Dave Barry's novel
Big Trouble. In 2003 he starred in the supporting cast for the sit-com
The Tracy Morgan Show
as Bernard. In 1997, Heavy D collaborated with
B.B. King on his duets album
Deuces Wild rapping in the song "Keep It Coming." He also has a small role in the 1999 Oscar-nominated movie "
The Cider House Rules (film)". In 2005, Heavy D appeared as Sid in the hit Fox drama
Bones, as the owner and bartender at Wong Fu's. In 2006, he appeared in the motion picture,
Step Up,as Omar.
Heavy D has now released a new
reggae album via itunes, called
Vibes
.
Heavy D reportedly has a son who is currently releasing mix tapes as a rapper.
Heavy D was referred to in the song "Juicy" by the Notorious B.I.G.
Discography
Albums
As
Heavy D & The Boyz
- 1987: Living Large
(Uptown) - US Pop #92, US R&B #10
- 1989: Big Tyme
(Uptown) - US Pop #19, US R&B #1 (Platinum)
- 1991: Peaceful Journey
(Uptown) - US Pop #21, US R&B #5 (Platinum)
- 1993: Blue Funk
(Uptown) - US Pop #40, US R&B #7 (Gold)
- 1994: Nuttin' But Love
(Uptown) - US Pop #11, US R&B #1 (Platinum)
- 2000: Heavy Hitz
(MCA)
- 2002: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Heavy D & The Boyz
(MCA)
- 2009: Uptown Heavy Ranking
Geffen Records
As
Heavy D
- 1997: Waterbed Hev
(Uptown/Universal) - US Pop #9, US R&B #3 (Gold)
- 1999: Heavy
(Uptown/Universal) - US Pop #60, US R&B #10
- 2008: Vibes
(Stride Entertainment/Federal Distribution)
- 2009: Vibes
(reissued on Malaco Records)
Singles
| Year
| Song
| Chart positions
| Album
|
U.S.
Hot 100
| U.S. R&B
| U.S. Rap
| UK
|
| 1987
| "Mr. Big Stuff"
| —
| 60
| —
| 61
| Living Large
|
| 1988
| "Don't You Know"
| —
| 12
| —
| —
|
| 1989
| "We Got Our Own Thang"
| —
| 10
| 3
| 69
| Big Tyme
|
| "Somebody For Me"
| —
| 10
| 1
| —
|
| 1990
| "Gyrlz, They Love Me"
| —
| 12
| 4
| —
|
| "Big Tyme"
| —
| —
| 24
| —
|
| 1991
| "Now That We Found Love"
| 11
| 5
| 4
| 2
| Peaceful Journey
|
| "Is It Good To You"
| 32
| 13
| 12
| 46
|
| 1992
| "Don't Curse"
| —
| 69
| 8
| —
|
| "Peaceful Journey"
| —
| 54
| —
| —
|
| "You Can't See What I Can See"
| —
| 69
| —
| —
| You Can See What I Can See 12"
|
| 1993
| "Who's The Man"
| —
| 52
| 3
| —
| Blue Funk
|
| "Truthful"
| —
| 57
| 7
| —
|
| 1994
| "Got Me Waiting"
| 20
| 3
| 1
| —
| Nuttin' But Love
|
| "Nuttin But Love"
| 40
| 18
| 9
| —
|
| "This Is Your Night"
| —
| —
| —
| 30
|
| "Black Coffee"
| 57
| 15
| 8
| —
|
| 1995
| "Sex Wit You"
| —
| 105
| 44
| —
|
| 1997
| "Big Daddy"
| 18
| 5
| 2
| —
| Waterbed Hev
|
| "Keep It Comin" A
| —
| 46
| —
| —
|
| "I'll Do Anything"A
| —
| 65
| —
| —
|
| 2008
| "Long Distance Girlfriend"
| 20
| 3
| 1
| —
| Vibes
|
| 2009
| "No Matter What"
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
- A Did not chart on the Hot 100 or Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts (Billboard
rules at the time prevented album cuts from charting). Chart peak listed here represents Hot 100 Airplay and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts data.
[2]
References
- allmusic Biography
- British Hit Singles & Albums