David Grant
MBE
Birth nameDavid Beresford Grant
Born (1956-08-08) 8 August 1956
Kingston, Colony of Jamaica
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • vocal coach
  • comedian
Years active1980–present
LabelsChrysalis, Polydor, Fourth & Broadway
Websitecarrieanddavidgrant.co.uk

David Beresford Grant MBE (born 8 August 1956)[1][2] is an English singer, comedian and vocal coach.

Career

Grant became famous in the early 1980s as a member of UK soul/funk duo, Linx,[3] whose biggest hit was "Intuition" in 1981.[4] He began a solo career in 1983 with the top 40 hit "Stop and Go". Further hits included "Watching You Watching Me" and two duets with Jaki Graham, "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" which reached number five in 1985 and the Todd Rundgren-penned "Mated", which made number 20 later that year.[3] He has also worked as a session singer for artists including Diana Ross, Rick Astley and Lighthouse Family.

Grant has become well known, along with his wife Carrie Grant, as vocal coach on Pop Idol; judge and vocal coach on the BBC TV talent show Fame Academy; and its spin-off Comic Relief Does Fame Academy. In addition, he has worked with some of the UK's top pop acts including the Spice Girls, Take That, S Club, and more recently Will Young, Atomic Kitten, Melanie C, Lemar, Charlotte Church, Joss Stone, Geri Halliwell and Julian Perretta.

He also appeared regularly as a panellist on the Five topical debate show, The Wright Stuff. In 2006, he appeared in the four part BBC television series The Sound of Musicals. In September 2006 he appeared on BBC's MasterChef programme. At the start of 2008 Grant sat as a judge on the BBC One talent show The One and Only, where once again he worked alongside Carrie.

Soon after, Grant starred as the celebrity 'hider' in an episode of the CBBC show Hider in the House. He is so far the only celebrity to have been 'discovered' in the first day's filming of the show. This appearance was a precursor to Grant and Carrie branching out into children's television later in the year, when they hosted their own CBeebies show Carrie and David's Popshop.

Grant often presented episodes of the BBC religious programme Songs of Praise and is a regular talking head expert for Channel 5 on a number of pop music-based chart countdowns, with Carrie joining him for Channel 5's lookback at the Eurovision Song Contest.[5][6]

Personal life

Grant was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to London as a child in the late 1950s.[7][1] Grant and his wife Carrie have four children: Olive, Tylan, Arlo,[8] and an adopted son, Nathan.[9][10] All of their children are neurodivergent.[11] Grant and Carrie are both Christian, and run a church plant in their home.[12]

Grant was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours.[13]

Discography

Albums

Year Title UK
[14]
1983 David Grant 32
1985 Hopes and Dreams 96
1987 Change —
1990 Anxious Edge —
1993 The Best of David Grant & Linx ―
1997 Watching and Waiting (with Carrie Grant) —
2004 Best of Jaki Graham & David Grant & Linx —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
BE (FLA)
[15]		 IRE
[16]		 NL
[17]		 NZ
[18]		 UK
[14][19]		 US Dance
[20]		 US R&B
[20]
1982 "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" (with The Wallace Fields Middle School Choir) — — — — — — —
1983 "Stop and Go" — — — 38 19 40 75
"Watching You, Watching Me" — 15 — — 10 — —
"Love Will Find a Way" — — — — 24 — —
"Rock the Midnight" — — — — 46 — —
1984 "Organise"/"Wrap Yourself Around Me" — — — — 90 — —
1985 "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" (duet with Jaki Graham) 23 8 17 48 5 — 60
"Where Our Love Begins" — — — — 80 — —
"Mated" (duet with Graham) 16 23 17 — 20 — —
1986 "Close to You" — — — — — — —
1987 "Take Us Back" — — — — — — —
"Change" — — — — 55 — —
"Before Too Long" — — — — — — —
1988 "Intuition '88" — — — — — — —
1989 "Life" (featuring Mike Stevens) — — — — 86 — —
1990 "Keep It Together" — — — — 56 — —
"Life '90" (featuring The Original Double Trouble) (Norman Cook remix) — — — — 98 — —
1992 "Hurt" — — — — — — —
1999 "Shake" (Foreal People featuring David Grant) — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Birds of a Feather Audience member 1 episode
2004 Mysti Himself 1 episode
2008 Carrie and David's Popshop Himself 30 episodes
2020 Hollyoaks Mal 1 episode[21]

References

  1. 1 2 "Linx Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "You're Lying". ASCAP. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 224. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
  4. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 323. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. ↑ "My5".
  6. ↑ "My5".
  7. ↑ "David Grant". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Reference. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  8. ↑ Tanner, Claudia (24 August 2021). "Carrie and David Grant on their autistic children: 'We were on suicide watch as school traumatised our kids'". inews.co.uk.
  9. ↑ Harp, Justin (14 February 2020). "Hollyoaks reveals star Talia Grant's real parents to cameo for Brooke Hathaway's birth scenes". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  10. ↑ Simper, Paul (20 February 2020). "Hollyoaks Talia Grant's real-life parents David and Carrie on their surprise guest appearance: "We felt like the kids"". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  11. ↑ Fillingham, Hanna (23 April 2018). "Carrie and David Grant's daughter Talia lands role in Hollyoaks – and she is making TV history". Hello Magazine. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Carrie Grant: "This is extreme parenting"". Woman Alive. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "2019 New Year Honours List" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  14. 1 2 "David Grant | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "All there is to know". The Irish Charts. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  17. ↑ "Dutch Charts". Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "New Zealand charts". Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  19. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 234. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  20. 1 2 "David Grant Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  21. ↑ Lamacraft, Tess (13 February 2020). "Hollyoaks welcomes two very SPECIAL GUEST STARS!". What's on TV. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
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