Chaka Demus & Pliers

Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae and dancehall duo formed by deejay Chaka Demus (John Taylor) and singer Pliers (Everton Bonner). They rose to international prominence in the early 1990s, blending Demus’s toasting style with Pliers’s smooth, melodic vocals over classic reggae riddims, a combination that helped bring dancehall to mainstream pop audiences worldwide.

The duo’s breakthrough came with «Murder She Wrote», built on the Bam Bam riddim, and «Tease Me», both of which became massive club and chart hits. Their cover of «Twist and Shout», recorded with Jack Radics and Taxi Gang, topped the UK Singles Chart in 1993, cementing their crossover success in Britain and beyond.

Signed to Mango/Island Records for much of their peak years, Chaka Demus & Pliers became emblematic of the early-90s dancehall wave that reshaped Jamaican music’s global reach, influencing how ragga and reggae vocal-and-toasting pairings were marketed internationally.