Chico

Patrick Walker, 5 October, Pembroke Hall, Jamaica, West Indies. Walker was raised in a Christian family; he was the third child of five and the only male among his siblings. He later moved to the Waterhouse district of Kingston where he became involved in the local music scene. Although immersed in music he fulfilled his education commitments with a view to becoming an accountant. Owing to Walker’s Chinese appearance his school friends nicknamed him Patrico which was later shortened to his stage name. He nurtured his vocal style while singing in church, which led to encouragement from members of the congregation who suggested he pursue a career in music. In 1993, he recorded his debut, a version of Tevin Campbell’s, ‘Why Oh Why’ with producer King Jammy. The single proved a success, although Chico supplemented his income working for a tyre company until he had a stable career. In his spare time the young singer would hang around Danny Browne’s Main Street studio sparring with Buccaneer, General Degree, Goofy, Hawkeye, Red Rat, Lady G and Crissy D. Chico recorded in combination with various members of the crew including Red Rat (‘Girls Dem Highway’) and Goofy (‘Nah Stoop’), while he enjoyed solo hits with ‘Stamina Body’ and ‘Mek Noise’. In 1999, the singer’s career was firmly established when he performed with T.O.K. on ‘Pavarotti’/‘Grab It Up’. He later joined Dave ‘Rude Boy’ Kelly’s Mad House crew and performed alongside Baby Cham, Mr. Easy, Frisco Kid and Wayne Wonder.