Big Mountain is an American Reggae band best known for their remake of Peter Frampton’s “Ooh, Baby, I Love Your Way” which became a top 10 international hit that took Big Mountain up the charts and on tour around the world. With vocalist and songwriter Joaquin “Quino” McWhinney distinctive voice, “Baby I Love Your Way” has become a generational love anthem that is recognized by all ages everywhere.
Press Kit
BIG MOUNTAIN IS BACK
With a new album FREEDOM releasing in March 2022, Big Mountain and friends are launching a global comeback tour to bring Reggae upliftment to the people as we recover from the darkness and isolation of a worldwide pandemic. Freedom, love, faith, respect, and roots living are essential themes in Big Mountain’s FREEDOM album. The new music is flavored with Roots Reggae, dancehall, Reggaeton, R&B, Afro-pop and Latin rhythms, bringing something for everyone, something to get the world up dancing again! (from one of the album’s singles “You Got Me Up”).
Quino, Big Mountain’s iconic “Baby I Love Your Way” lead singer, and the band are dedicated to bringing more hope, health, and positive vibes to the world.
LIVE FREE! Vive Libre!
HOT NEW COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSAL LATINO RECORDING ARTIST TORAI
BIG MOUNTAIN BAND includes Joaquin “Quino” McWhinney on guitar and lead vocals, James McWhinney on vocals and percussion, Paul “GroovesGalore” KasticK on drums, guitarist Audley “Chizzy” Chisholm, keyboardist Richard “Goofy” Campbell, and Mike Ortiz, bassist.
“For me, songwriting is a solution to the problems I see in the world. Big Mountain is back to bring fresh positivity to everyone who has supported us through the years. But we are also here to inspire kids of today to take up the mission that we started in the 90s, the mission to heal our damaged world.”
In this collection of excerpts edited from an exclusive interview featured on https://www.benzinga.com, Bruce Caplin, the manager of Big Mountain talks more about the band’s journey into the music.
Bruce Caplin: Big Mountain’s music is a fusion of Reggae, Latin and Pop. With Quino, the lead singer and main lyricist, having been influenced as a youth with R&B, such as Earth Wind & Fire and Roots Reggae with Bob Marley, Quino fuses humanitarian minded lyrics with catchy melodies.
Interviewer: Tell us about the journey of Big Mountain in the industry so far.
Bruce Caplin: In 1991, Big Mountain was originally named Shiloh, with their album title “California Reggae”. While Shiloh was on their promotional tour for the California Reggae album, I just so happen to see Quino’s performance one evening with his band Shiloh during their west coast tour of the United States.
Bruce Caplin: I had been in charge of launching several artist’s careers using FM radio and was very experienced at radio airplay. Artists that I have played an integral part in their careers, to name just a few out of dozens are, ZZ Top, Van Halen, AC/DC, Dire Straits (“Brothers In Arms” album and singles released), Prince, Los Lobos, and A-AH. So when I heard Quino singing that night, I knew that he was special and that I could do something big with him.
Interviewer: How did you two come up with the idea of the cover “Ooh Baby I love your way”?
Bruce Caplin: Ron Fair was the A&R Director pf RCA Records and he came up with re-recording “Ooh, Baby I Love Your Way”.
Interviewer: What message do you convey with your music?
Bruce Caplin: It has always been a struggle between Quino and myself when it comes to song messages. Quino is a true Rasta and a person who truly cares for the less fortunate people. He prefers to write and sing about the everyday struggles and strife.
Bruce Caplin: I on the other hand like up-tempo, uplifting, feel-good songs and also spiritual songs. So what takes place within a Quino / Caplin production is, I will lean into feeling Quino’s desire to write a song about wisdom or history and Quino leans into feeling my desire to get the people up singing and hopefully dancing and/ or hugging each other. The one final goal within our collaborations is that Big Mountain stands for family values and the projection of kindness…
