Little Axe is American musician Skip McDonald (born Bernard Alexander in Da… Read Full Bio ↴Little Axe is American musician Skip McDonald (born Bernard Alexander in Dayton, Ohio, on 1 September 1949. After being part of the house band for Sugarhill Records, McDonald assumed the moniker "Little Axe" and began moving from hip hop to a form of blues that drew from an array of musical influences, including dub, R&B, gospel, and jazz.
McDonald learned to play the blues on his father's guitar from the age of 8, although by the time he was 12 years old he had opted to perform doo-wop. Having completed his high school education, he left Dayton with a band called the Ohio Hustlers, which broke up not long after relocating to New York City. His first professional work as a musician began when he formed the Entertainers who toured the east coast through to the mid-70s.
He moved on to Hartford, Connecticut, and there's when he met Doug Wimbish, who played in a band called Wood, Brass & Steel. Wood, Brass & Steel recorded a selftitled album for All Platinum Records, the label of Sylvia and Joe Robinson, in 1976. Skip and Doug played a lot of music together, in clubs and colleges around New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
In 1979, three years after the Wood, Brass & Steel album, Skip and Doug teamed up with drummer Keith LeBlanc and they became the house band for Sugarhill Records, the Robinson's new label. The trio played on some of the earliest rap hits such as The Message and White Lines (Don't Do It) with Grandmaster Flash.
While they worked at Sugar Hill, LeBlanc also freelanced at Tommy Boy Records where he first met Adrian Sherwood. LeBlanc introduced his colleagues to Sherwood and the trio were persuaded to relocate in London. Upon their entry into the On-U Sound fold, the group formed a production team and, again, a house band, this time for On-U. The three participated in dozens of records on Sherwood's label.
The partnership developed and metamorphosed into a fully-fledged band, Tackhead. Though good working relationships remain to this day, the dispersion of Tackhead in the early 1990s saw Keith and Doug pursue more of their own projects and play less often togther.
For Skip the time since has seen him work ever more closely with Sherwood, both on his own projects and as a musician or guest vocalist on many other of Adrian's On-U Sound productions - such as by Junior Delgado, Bim Sherman, Dub Syndicate and African Head Charge, sometimes along side Keith and /or Doug.
Skip has been the prime mover behind Little Axe since around 1992. Under a name inspired by Bob Marley's Small Axe and gospel singer Willmer 'Little Ax' Broadnax, the debut album Wolf That House Built was a personal take on blues and dub, and was released to critical acclaim in 1994. This had followed a partial release in Japan compiled in a slightly different form and with a different title (Never Turn Back) the previous year. The second Little Axe album, Slow Fuse, was also well received. Both albums featured tabla player Talvin Singh, for Slow Fuse the gifted voices of Kevin Gibbs and Sas Bell were added.
Then it remained silent for far too long. In 2002 Skip's third Little Axe album Hard Grind became the first release for four years on Sherwood's revived and re-launched On-U Sound label with a mixture of raw blues and reggae. While Hard Grind no doubt will also draw comparisons to Moby's Play, it was Skip who pioneered the fusion of blues and electronic music with Little Axe.
In 2006 Skip McDonald finished the fifth Little Axe album, Stone Cold Ohio, after Champagne and Grits (2004), the second record released on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records. Skip still has got the blues but this time the emphasis is on the gospel, another of Skip's old loves. The production and mixing was done Adrian Sherwood; 'gospel dub' like you never heard before.
McDonald learned to play the blues on his father's guitar from the age of 8, although by the time he was 12 years old he had opted to perform doo-wop. Having completed his high school education, he left Dayton with a band called the Ohio Hustlers, which broke up not long after relocating to New York City. His first professional work as a musician began when he formed the Entertainers who toured the east coast through to the mid-70s.
He moved on to Hartford, Connecticut, and there's when he met Doug Wimbish, who played in a band called Wood, Brass & Steel. Wood, Brass & Steel recorded a selftitled album for All Platinum Records, the label of Sylvia and Joe Robinson, in 1976. Skip and Doug played a lot of music together, in clubs and colleges around New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
In 1979, three years after the Wood, Brass & Steel album, Skip and Doug teamed up with drummer Keith LeBlanc and they became the house band for Sugarhill Records, the Robinson's new label. The trio played on some of the earliest rap hits such as The Message and White Lines (Don't Do It) with Grandmaster Flash.
While they worked at Sugar Hill, LeBlanc also freelanced at Tommy Boy Records where he first met Adrian Sherwood. LeBlanc introduced his colleagues to Sherwood and the trio were persuaded to relocate in London. Upon their entry into the On-U Sound fold, the group formed a production team and, again, a house band, this time for On-U. The three participated in dozens of records on Sherwood's label.
The partnership developed and metamorphosed into a fully-fledged band, Tackhead. Though good working relationships remain to this day, the dispersion of Tackhead in the early 1990s saw Keith and Doug pursue more of their own projects and play less often togther.
For Skip the time since has seen him work ever more closely with Sherwood, both on his own projects and as a musician or guest vocalist on many other of Adrian's On-U Sound productions - such as by Junior Delgado, Bim Sherman, Dub Syndicate and African Head Charge, sometimes along side Keith and /or Doug.
Skip has been the prime mover behind Little Axe since around 1992. Under a name inspired by Bob Marley's Small Axe and gospel singer Willmer 'Little Ax' Broadnax, the debut album Wolf That House Built was a personal take on blues and dub, and was released to critical acclaim in 1994. This had followed a partial release in Japan compiled in a slightly different form and with a different title (Never Turn Back) the previous year. The second Little Axe album, Slow Fuse, was also well received. Both albums featured tabla player Talvin Singh, for Slow Fuse the gifted voices of Kevin Gibbs and Sas Bell were added.
Then it remained silent for far too long. In 2002 Skip's third Little Axe album Hard Grind became the first release for four years on Sherwood's revived and re-launched On-U Sound label with a mixture of raw blues and reggae. While Hard Grind no doubt will also draw comparisons to Moby's Play, it was Skip who pioneered the fusion of blues and electronic music with Little Axe.
In 2006 Skip McDonald finished the fifth Little Axe album, Stone Cold Ohio, after Champagne and Grits (2004), the second record released on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records. Skip still has got the blues but this time the emphasis is on the gospel, another of Skip's old loves. The production and mixing was done Adrian Sherwood; 'gospel dub' like you never heard before.
If I Had My Way
Little Axe Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'If I Had My Way' by these artists:
Big Sugar If I had my way If I had my way If I…
Bing Crosby I'd like to make your golden dreams come true, Dear If…
Bing Crosby & John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra I'd like to make your golden dreams come true, Dear If…
BING CROSBY - J.S.TROTTER ORCH I'd like to make your golden dreams come true, Dear If…
Blind Willie Johnson Well, if I had my way I had-a, a wicked mind If…
Bobby Yeah Wuddup (uh huh) It's your boy, Bobby V. I'm back, girl …
Bobby V. Yeah Wuddup (uh huh) It's your boy, Bobby V. I'm back, gi…
Chrisette Michele You're who I desire, you light my fire With every kiss,…
David Houston If I had my way forever there'd be a garden…
Frank Sinatra I'd like to make your golden dreams come true, dear, If…
I.R.E. (I hope you don't mind Right there for you) I'll change my…
Karl Denver If I had my way dear Forever there'd be A garden of…
Kate Smith I'd like to make your golden dreams come true, Dear If…
Linda Eder Long ago and far away Before the world had come to…
Mary You read about Sampson, you read about his birth He was…
Millie Jackson Isaac Hayes Millie, I′ve been checking you all night You know you've mad…
Nancy Wilson Baby, baby You don't know how many nights I've prayed For …
Patty Griffin If I had my way If I had my way If I…
Patty Griffin feat. Regina McCrary & Ann McCrary If I had my way If I had my way If I…
Peter You read about Sampson, you read about his birth He was…
Peter Paul and Mary You read about Sampson, you read about his birth He was…
Petula Clark I'd like to make your golden dreams come true, Dear If…
Rev. Gary Davis If I had my way If I had my way If I…
Rev. T. T. Rose and Gospel Singers If I had my way, I would tear this old…
Reverend Gary Davis If I had my way If I had my way If I…
Robert Randolph The Family Band If I Had My Way, I'd tear the building down If…
Robert Randolph & The Family Band If I Had My Way, I'd tear the building down If…
Sherbet Ooo... yeah.hay. Oh yesterday When I had you beside me All t…
The Mills Brothers I'd like to make your golden dreams come true, Dear If…
Vera Lynn Oh, give me land Lots of land under starry skies above Don't…
Vince Gill If I had my way, we'd love one another If I…
Vince Gill & Amy Grant (Amy Grant - Vince Gill) Oh, if I had my way…
Willie Johnson Well, if I had my way I had-a, a wicked mind If…
Willie Nelson If I had my way, dear, forever there'd be A garden…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Little Axe:
Almighty Oh you in my heart Oh you in my heart Oh help…
Down to the Valley Oh sinners Lets go down Lets go down Lets go down Oh sinner…
Finger On The Trigger Just an illusion, They feed on confusion, All mirrors and sm…
Grinning Don't you mind people grinning in your face Don't you mind…
Grinning In Your Face Don't you mind people grinning in your face Don't you mind…
Long Way to Go I don't like the way he's looking at you I'm starting…
People Grinning in Your Face Don't you mind people grinning in your face Don't you mind…
Pray i climb to the mountain to the top of the mountain and…
Prisoner Each day he finds his way to the graveyard Without flowers,…
Rockin' Shoes I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning Hallellou, hallello…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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