Interview with Angie B

Where: England
When: August, 2026
Reporter: K.A. Jones
Photos: Angie B
Copyright:  2026 – K.A. Jones/Reggae Vibes

Welcome, Angie! It is an absolute honor to sit down with you. To start from the very beginning, can you tell us a bit about your roots and early family life?
I was born to my wonderful Jamaican parents, Mavis and Wilfred Dunkley, as the youngest of four children. I’m actually a distant cousin to the legendary artist Errol Dunkley, too. In the 1970s, I attended Ebenezer school in Jamaica while living with my parents and grandmother in Tivoli Gardens, Kingston. Later on, I moved to North West London and spent most of my teenage years in West London.

Where did the name “Angie B” come from?
I became known as Angie B through my 27-plus years of marriage! Outside of music, I am a proud mother to ten children—five sons and five daughters—and I have thirty-two grandchildren to date.

How did music first enter your life?
Early on, I took piano and violin lessons and dabbled a little with the bass guitar, though I eventually gave them up due to peer pressure. But I always loved singing. I joined the children’s choir at The Hammersmith Pentecostal Church of God, eventually becoming a gospel soloist. I used to sing duets with my mother, who was a Sunday School teacher, and when my older sister joined us, we formed a singing trio.

Who were some of your biggest early influences and mentors?
My mentor and cousin was the late guitarist Lascelle Dunkley, also known as “Tonic Man”—he was an ex-guitarist for Sugar Minott and a session player for Alton Ellis. My primary mentor, good friend, and full-fledged supporter was the late, legendary Alton Ellis himself. Tonic Man really paved the way for my blossoming career; he and my brother Trevor introduced me to giants like Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, John Holt, and Roy Cousins.

Do you remember your very first time in a recording studio?
Oh, yes! I was just 15 years old when the late Jah Woosh—my brother’s best friend—took me to a studio to work on a track for him. Back then, I could “toast,” which people now call “sing-jay.”

What was your first live performance experience like?
My first live event was an outdoor African Famine Relief event in Bethnal Green back in the 80s, where I performed under my former stage name, Angela Campbell. I was so nervous! I recall Maxi Priest encouraging me to go on stage in front of what was my largest audience at that point. I also shared bills with Alton Ellis at Ealing Town Hall and in Bristol.

What were your early official releases, and how did you wind up working in Switzerland?
My first solo single came at around age 23—a soul track titled ‘Love Me’ on the VIP label. The follow-up, ‘I’ll Be There’, was produced by my longtime collaborator Patrick Boothe, co-produced by me, and featured pop singer Louise Tucker. Shortly after being featured in The Voice newspaper alongside the original Akabu female band, I went on holiday to Holland. I accidentally left a cassette tape in a coffeeshop run by two brothers, Leon and James. By pure chance, a singer named Oty Limond was looking for a female singer for his band, Euram. James recommended me, and Oty called me and my late acting manager, Vinton Brown, out to Switzerland for intense rehearsals!

Did anything come of that Swiss venture?
We performed at venues in Davos and Zürich and appeared on Zee TV. Arista Records actually offered Oty and me a record deal, but Oty turned it down out of loyalty because Arista didn’t want the rest of the band included. I was disappointed—getting a record deal back then was every musician’s dream—but I stood by his decision.

You hit a major health scare in 2001. What happened?
During a show in Milton Keynes where I was performing with my childhood friend, the late Queen of Reggae Louisa Mark, my voice changed uncontrollably on a high note. Louisa encouraged me to get checked right away. It turned out I was practically suffocating due to a massive cyst on my vocal cords and polyps. I had to have immediate surgery, and doctors told me I might never sing again. After healing, I couldn’t hit any notes, and my voice dropped a couple of tones. I went to speech training, but I feared losing my voice entirely, so I gave up singing altogether and launched a successful retail business instead.

What eventually brought you back to singing?
After closing my shop, I faced immense personal loss—losing my mother in June 2010, my elder sister in 2013 to the same condition, and then my cousin Tonic Man a few months later. I felt so isolated. But with encouragement from family, I forced myself to sing at my sister’s funeral. That was my first time singing since the operation, and it pushed me not to give up. Veteran artist General Saint connected me with producer Robbie Tyndale. Saint listened to what I did with the tracks and said, “Angie, I’m shocked. It’s better than what I had ever imagined!” That sparked my comeback.

You’ve achieved so much since returning—from albums to academic success and activism. What keeps you driven today?
I released my debut album ‘Personally Yours’ in 2015, followed by ‘Evolution’ in 2017. In 2015, I also earned a BA degree in Events and Entertainment Management from Plymouth University. As a long-time social justice activist, I founded Black Tulsah UK, a fundraising platform inspired by the economic independence of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Music stops me from focusing so much on the loved ones I’ve lost and helps ease my pain. Music is part of me—it’s my first love, and where I can express my feelings, experiences, and pain.

What are your latest awards, and what’s next for Angie B?
Over the years, I’ve been blessed with several honors. In 2017, I got the Bright Star Award for Best Single for ‘Feelings Of Love’ with Patrick Boothe, followed in 2019 by the Bright Star Award for Best Reggae Single for ‘I’m Black ‘N’ I’m Proud’, and the next year the Stevie Award also for ‘Black ‘N’ I’m Proud’. Then in 2021 I got the Steve-J Chart Show Number One Listeners Award for ‘When They See Us Come’. I’ve just recently completed ‘Fyaah In The Blood’, what I say is my final album on the Wambesi label, which will retail via HMV stores.

Well, we will just have to watch this space and see if you stick to that being your last album! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us, Angie.