Chaka Demus (born John Taylor in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963) and Pliers (born Everton Bonner in Rockhall Hills, Jamaica in 1963) both had established successful careers as solo performers in the 1980s. But after they teamed up in 1991, they achieved massive commercial success on the international stage. Their debut album as a duo, Gal Wine, was released in 1992, showcasing their approach to the reggae and dancehall genres. In this year they also released “Murder She Wrote,” a song which sampled the 1966 The Maytals hit "Bam Bam" to explore the topic of abortion. In 1993, the group broke through to international success with their single “Tease Me,” reaching the UK Singles Chart and peaking at Number 3. An international re-release of “Murder She Wrote” soon followed, becoming one of the group’s most successful singles. The album Tease Me was certified gold for sales of over 500,000 copies, and the duo continued releasing a string of acclaimed albums such as Consciousness A Lick (1995), Dangerous (2000), Trouble and War (2003), and Back Against the Wall (2005). In 2007, Chaka Demus & Pliers performed "Murder She Wrote" along with Alicia Keys at the 2007 American Music Awards, and in 2013 they were featured as performers during a reggae segment at the BET Awards alongside Dawn Penn, Beenie Man, and Elephant Man.
