Honey Boy
Encyclopedia
Keith Williams better known as Honey Boy, is a Jamaica
n reggae
singer best known for his recordings in the 1970s who is regarded as one of the pioneers of lovers rock
.
in the late 1960s, living in Oxford
before settling in London. He found work as a backing vocalist with Laurel Aitken
before recording for Junior Lincoln's Banana label, beginning with the "Homeward Bound" single. Several singles followed, credited to Honey Boy and other pseudonyms such as Happy Junior and Boy Wonder. He contributed "Jamaica" to the 1971 live album Trojan Reggae Party, and his first album, This is Honey Boy, was released in 1973. In the mid-1970s he worked with former Studio One musician Winston Curtis who had relocated to the UK and moved into production. He also recorded for Count Shelley. With the advent of lovers rock
in the mid-1970s, Honey Boy became a major figure in the scene, having several hits on the reggae charts in 1977. In 1980 he recorded the Arise album with members of Aswad. In 2002, Honey Boy was featured vocalist on "Always There" on UB40
's album UB40 Present the Fathers of Reggae.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer best known for his recordings in the 1970s who is regarded as one of the pioneers of lovers rock
Lovers rock
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid 1970s.-History:...
.
Biography
Williams was born in Saint Elizabeth Parish c.1955. He moved to the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the late 1960s, living in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
before settling in London. He found work as a backing vocalist with Laurel Aitken
Laurel Aitken
Lorenzo Aitken , better known as Laurel Aitken, was a singer and one of the originators of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of ska".-Career:...
before recording for Junior Lincoln's Banana label, beginning with the "Homeward Bound" single. Several singles followed, credited to Honey Boy and other pseudonyms such as Happy Junior and Boy Wonder. He contributed "Jamaica" to the 1971 live album Trojan Reggae Party, and his first album, This is Honey Boy, was released in 1973. In the mid-1970s he worked with former Studio One musician Winston Curtis who had relocated to the UK and moved into production. He also recorded for Count Shelley. With the advent of lovers rock
Lovers rock
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid 1970s.-History:...
in the mid-1970s, Honey Boy became a major figure in the scene, having several hits on the reggae charts in 1977. In 1980 he recorded the Arise album with members of Aswad. In 2002, Honey Boy was featured vocalist on "Always There" on UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
's album UB40 Present the Fathers of Reggae.
Album discography
- This is Honey Boy (1973), Count Shelley
- Sweet Cherries Impossible Love (1974), Cactus
- Taste of Honey (1975), Cactus
- Strange Thoughts (1976), TrojanTrojan RecordsTrojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
- Lovers (1976), Third World
- Dark End of the Street (1978), Diamond
- Arise (1980), Diamond
- Roxy (19??), Cougar
- Love You Tonight (1995)
- Master Piece (2000) Cactus
- The Gospel and I, Pt.2 (2007), Jet StarJet StarJet Star was a United Kingdom record distribution company that grew out of Pama Records in 1978. It was one of the largest distributors of reggae music, the company themselves claiming the title "the world's largest reggae distributors".-History:Jet Star was formed in 1978 by the Palmer Brothers,...