Paradise were a British Gospel band that emerged out of the late 1970’s and blossomed inside the Brit-Funk era of 80’s. Key members were Paul Johnson, Doug Williams and the late Victor Cross, backed up by talented writers and musicians.

Once dubbed Britain’s Earth Wind and Fire, they produced a blend of music that was considered controversial in the Gospel community at the time.

The groups bold and creative nature bought them to the attention of secular labels which resulted in American recognition and a low publicity track that hovered on the edge of the top 40 national charts.

That song was ‘One Mind Two Hearts’ which remains a rare grooves classic. Their second album “Worlds Midnight”, is a collector’s item, a mint condition vinyl exchanging hands for large sums of money.

Following “Worlds Midnight”, the next few years would see the group sign to a new label which resulted in a new group line-up and new material. Gospel fans remained at the border in 1984 as Paradise covered a 1966 Beatles classic, ‘We Can Work It Out’. By 1985, the release of funk infected ‘Heartstrings’ symbolised the embrace of a new fanbase, while British Gospel fans reflected back on a gifted group that it could not contain.

Rebels in the gospel community became a phenomenon in the secular environment. They somehow managed to blend gospel with street sound and lyrics that pulled in mainstream youth of all races.

As well as a music legacy, they are credited for opening doors to wider possibilities outside the British gospel bubble.