Bitty Mclean

line up

• Bitty Mclean (lead vocal)
• Homegrown Band (backing band)

• country:
  Jamaica
• region or city:
  Caribbean
• style(s):
  Reggae Ska
• label:
  Taxi
• type:
  Band, Solist
• gender:
  male
• instrumentation:
  instrumental, vocal
• artist submitted by:
  Talowa Productions

The youngest of six children, Delroy McLean was nicknamed "Bitty" due to his small stature. As a teenager he performed with local sound systems, and after studying sound engineering at college, he was employed by UB40 as an engineer and producer, and occasionally also sang with the band.

He was most popular around the mid 1990s with cover versions of songs including The Shirelles' "Dedicated to the One I Love" (UK 6) and Fats Domino's "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" (1993), which was his biggest UK hit, peaking at 2. McLean's song "It Keeps Rainin' (Tears from My Eyes)" topped the charts in New Zealand and the Netherlands in 1993. McLean also played on three UK arena tours supporting UB40, Wet Wet Wet and Simply Red respectively.

In 2004, he released the album On Bond Street KGN. JA., which featured his vocals recorded over vintage Tommy McCook and Duke Reid-produced, Treasure Isle rhythms from the rocksteady era, most with new lyrics of his own, but also using David Ruffin's "Walk Away From Love" and David Gates' "Make It With You". He recorded a studio album in 2007, entitled Movin' On, with Sly and Robbie at their One Pop studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Movin' On was released on Taxi / Silent River / Mideya label in Europe and the US, while JVC released it in Japan. McLean and Sly & Robbie toured Japan, Europe and Morocco in 2008 and 2009. McLean has released a new album with Sly & Robbie, and a live DVD recorded with Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, during their concert in Paris in May 2009.