Smiley Culture - real name David Emmanuel - is a British reggae singer and DJ. Although his period of fame and success was brief, he did produce two of the most memorable reggae singles of the 1980s, in which he displayed a remarkable verbal dexterity.[citation needed]
Emmanuel, born and raised in South London, is the son of a Jamaican father and South American mother. Prior to his recording career he worked as a DJ with the Saxon Sound system, where he met and worked with a number of other reggae artists, including Maxi Priest, Papa Levi and Tippa Irie.
Signed to the London-based reggae label Fashion Records, his first single 'Cockney Translation' (1984) was a Jamaican's guide to the East End dialect - 'Cockneys have names like Terry, Arfur and Del Boy/We have names like Winston, Lloyd and Leroy.' It picked up considerable airplay on BBC Radio One but only reached the lower end of the UK Top 75. Simon Reynolds has often cited this song in his writings, commenting that eventually a new hybrid accent would be created combining these two elements (along with elements of African American Vernacular English) in which white East Londoners would adopt many terms of black origin.
He had more success with his next single, 'Police Officer', released towards the end of 1984. This was the supposedly autobiographical tale of how Emmanuel was arrested for the possession of cannabis, but then let off when the police officer recognised him as a famous reggae artist.[citation needed] In spite of the subject matter - and possibly because mid-1980s radio bosses in the UK did not understand the terms 'ganja' and 'sensimania' - the single was a Top 20 hit and earned Emmanuel two appearances on Top of the Pops. The record, although humorous, did have a serious aspect, in that it highlighted the way black people often feel they are unfairly treated by the police.[citation needed]
After this he signed to major label Polydor, but his work for them - including the minor hit 'Schooltime Chronicle' - was generally regarded as less satisfactory than his earlier records, and there were no more chart outings to follow, although in 1986 Emmanuel did enjoy a brief flirtation with the cinema when he made a cameo appearance in the film Absolute Beginners.
Taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Please realise that this is not the real Smiley Culture, just a gathering place for his fans until he gets here.
Updated 3rd March 2009...Ahh at last Smiley Culture arrived and he's put his stamp of approval on this page...he now has access to it and can read all your mail and comments. Please check back for more updates coming soon..
