Career
He is best known for his three United Kingdom Top 10 hits in 1993 and 1994, including his debut offering "lieutenant Keeps Rainin" (Tears from My Eyes)". The youngest of six children, Delroy McLean was nicknamed "Bitty" due to his small stature. As a teenager he performed with local sound systems, and after studying sound engineering at college, he was employed by UB40 as an engineer and producer, and occasionally also sang with the band.
He was most popular around the mid 1990s with cover versions of songs including The Shirelles" "Dedicated to the One I Love" (United Kingdom #6) and Fats Domino"s "lieutenant Keeps Rainin" (Tears from My Eyes)" (1993), which was his biggest United Kingdom hit, peaking at #2.
McLean"s song "lieutenant Keeps Rainin" (Tears from My Eyes)" topped the charts in New Zealand and the Netherlands in 1993. McLean also played on three United Kingdom arena tours supporting UB40, Wet Wet Wet and Simply Red respectively.
In 2004, he released the album JA., which featured his vocals recorded over vintage Tommy McCook and Duke Reid-produced, Treasure Isle rhythms from the rocksteady era, most with new lyrics of his own, but also using David Ruffin"s "Walk Away From Love" and David Gates" "Make lieutenant With You". He recorded a studio album in 2007, entitled Movin" On, with Sly and Robbie at their One People’s studios in Kingston, Jamaica.
Movin" On was released on Taxi / Silent River / Mideya label in Europe and the United States, while Victor Company of Japan released it in Japan.
McLean and Sly & Robbie toured Japan, Europe and Morocco in 2008 and 2009. In 2013 McLean released a new album, The Taxi Sessions, with Sly & Robbie, and a live Digital Video Disc recorded with Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, during their concert in Paris in May 2009. Also in 2013, McLean joined The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra on vocals, for a cover of Desmond Dekker"s Fu Manitoba Chu (a single release for the band).
He also joined them on stage for several shows, appeared in the official video that accompanied the single and, in May 2013, joined them on Later.. with Jools Holland to perform the track.