Chevelle is a native of Tawes Pen, a Spanish Town Housing project. She dropped out of school at 14 at St Catherine Primary, because she had no choice. "It is a long story. I wasnt rude, bad or anything. I had no choice but to go and look a job. And no, it wasnt a baby. Myself and Diana King went on the North Coast to work." She met King because they lived just around the road from each other in Spanish Town, she even used to sing with King's sister Nikki at primary school. She was able to get a job at the age of fourteen because she could pass as an eighteen year old.
When she got to the North Coast, Diana was already working there, then she began to work with Ainsley Morris' One-Man BAnd. They worked Jamaica Jamaica, Couples, Hedonism and other hotels and such. She spent about a year singing on the North Coast before coming to Kingston in search of a recording contract. This was around the late 1980, and she made the move because she wanted to have some records out and move on. On reaching Kingston she was quite unsettled, all over the place staying with friends and moving from one house to the other.
Her ambition as a child wasnt to become a singer, she preferred sports especially athletics. But after leaving school, she had to find a job to find a way out. She didnt have any subjects, plus she started school late at the age of seven, and left early. She credits Mikey Bennett with encouraging her to learn more. She bought her many books and newspapers and words which she couldnt pronounce, he broke then down into syllables for her.
In Kingston she hung out at the Gemini Club and tried a number of producers, but none of them were willing to produce her. It was a shame that she should be scrounging for producers when she already had two very popular records; a cover of Ania BAker's 'No-one In The Wiorld' and a major ballad single 'Here I Am' which she had recorded for a Spanish Town producer, Rohan Harris who was also her first manager.
She spoke with engineer Soljie Hamilton, explaining that she needed a producer and he sent her to Mikey Bennett. She then easily fitted into Bennett's Two Friends Crew and recorded songs like 'Shy' and 'Pushover'. She did Mr Loverman with Shabba Ranks, among other dancehall singles. Later she did an album, 'Serious Girl' which was produced by Bennett and released by Mesa/Blue Moon.
Since then life has been on the climb for this spirited young woman, who woouldnt let the lack of proper schooling stop her from making it. And the truth is, we havent seen anything yet !
