I-Roy
Encyclopedia
Roy Samuel Reid better known as I-Roy was a Jamaica
n DJ who had a very prolific career during the 1970s.
, Reid was also heavily influenced in his early career by Dennis Alcapone
. With early recordings for Gussie Clarke
, Glen Brown
, Lee Perry and Bunny Lee
, Reid established himself at the forefront of 1970s reggae
DJ's. His debut album
Presenting I Roy is considered a classic of its genre, and was followed up by a series of strong albums including Hell and Sorrow.
Linton Kwesi Johnson
dubs I-Roy "the mighty poet" in "Street 66" on the album
, Bass Culture
.
The mighty poet I-Roy was on the wire
Western did a skank; and each man laugh
an feelin Irie; dread I;
Street 66, the said man said
any policeman come ere
will get some righteous ras klaat licks
yeah man - whole heap kicks.
For several years from 1975, I-Roy engaged in an on-record slanging match with fellow DJ Prince Jazzbo
, the two trading insults on successive singles
, although in reality they were good friends. In 1976, I-Roy signed to Virgin Records
with whom he would go on to release five albums. On occasion he would utilise The Revolutionaries
as his backing band
.
One of I-Roy's earliest hits was in 1972 with "Sidewalk Killer," a take on Tommy McCook's original "Sidewalk Doctor." This 45 was produced by Ruddy Redwood.
Reggae's move to the dancehall
era in the 1980s saw I-Roy's popularity decline. This decline in popularity and recurring health problems led to periods of homelessness during the later period of his life.
He died in 1999 of heart failure
, at the age of fifty-five.
video game soundtrack, on the fictitious radio station K-Jah West.
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 DJ who had a very prolific career during the 1970s.
Biography
Deriving his name, and to some extent his style, from U-RoyU-Roy
U-Roy , OD, is a Jamaican musician, also known as The Originator. He is best known as a pioneer of toasting.-Biography:...
, Reid was also heavily influenced in his early career by Dennis Alcapone
Dennis Alcapone
Dennis Alcapone is a reggae DJ and producer.-Career:Smith initially trained as a welder and worked for the Jamaica Public Services...
. With early recordings for Gussie Clarke
Gussie Clarke
Augustus "Gussie" Clarke , is a reggae producer who worked with some of the top Jamaican reggae artists in the 1970s and later set up his own Music Works studio.-Career:...
, Glen Brown
Glen Brown
Glen Brown , also known as 'God Son' and 'The Rhythm Master', is a Jamaican singer, musician, and record producer, working primarily in the genres of reggae and dub...
, Lee Perry and Bunny Lee
Bunny Lee
Edward O'Sullivan Lee, better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee is a prominent, prolific and successful record producer best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
, Reid established himself at the forefront of 1970s 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...
DJ's. His debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Presenting I Roy is considered a classic of its genre, and was followed up by a series of strong albums including Hell and Sorrow.
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson is a UK-based dub poet. He became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Classics series. His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British...
dubs I-Roy "the mighty poet" in "Street 66" on the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Bass Culture
Bass Culture
Bass Culture is an album by dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, released in 1980 on the Island Records label. It was produced by Linton Kwesi Johnson and Dennis Bovell ....
.
The mighty poet I-Roy was on the wire
Western did a skank; and each man laugh
an feelin Irie; dread I;
Street 66, the said man said
any policeman come ere
will get some righteous ras klaat licks
yeah man - whole heap kicks.
For several years from 1975, I-Roy engaged in an on-record slanging match with fellow DJ Prince Jazzbo
Prince Jazzbo
Prince Jazzbo is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay and producer.Prince Jazzbo began recording with Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label in the early 1970s...
, the two trading insults on successive singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, although in reality they were good friends. In 1976, I-Roy signed to Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
with whom he would go on to release five albums. On occasion he would utilise The Revolutionaries
The Revolutionaries
The Revolutionaries is a Jamaican reggae band.-Career:Set up in 1975 as the house band of the Channel One Studios owned by Joseph Hoo Kim, The Revolutionaries with Sly Dunbar on drums and Robbie Shakespeare on bass, created the new "rockers" style that would change the whole Jamaican sound The...
as his backing band
Backup band
A backing band or backup band is a musical ensemble that accompanies an artist at a live performance or on a recording. This can either be an established, long-standing group that has little or no change in membership, or it may be an ad hoc group assembled for a single show or a single recording...
.
One of I-Roy's earliest hits was in 1972 with "Sidewalk Killer," a take on Tommy McCook's original "Sidewalk Doctor." This 45 was produced by Ruddy Redwood.
Reggae's move to the dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
era in the 1980s saw I-Roy's popularity decline. This decline in popularity and recurring health problems led to periods of homelessness during the later period of his life.
He died in 1999 of heart failure
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, at the age of fifty-five.
Appearances in other media
I-Roy's song "Sidewalk Killer" appears in the Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
video game soundtrack, on the fictitious radio station K-Jah West.
Studio albums
- Presenting I Roy (1973, Gussie/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...
) - Hell and Sorrow (1974, Trojan)
- Many Moods of I Roy (1974, Trojan)
- Truths & Rights (1975, Grounation)
- Step Forward Youth (1975, Live & Love) with Prince Jazzbo
- Can't Conquer Rasta (1976, Justice)
- Crisus Time (1976, Caroline/Virgin)
- Dread Baldhead (1976, Klik)
- Ten Commandments (1977, Micron)
- Heart of a Lion (1977, Front Line)
- Musical Shark Attack (1977, Front Line)
- The Godfather (1977, Third World)
- The General (1977, Front Line)
- World on Fire (1978, Front Line)
- Cancer (1979, Virgin)
- African Herbsman (1979, Joe GibbsJoe Gibbs (record producer)Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
) - Hotter Yatta (1980, Harry J)
- Whap'n Bap'n (1980, Virgin, produced by Dennis BovellDennis BovellDennis Bovell is a reggae guitarist, bass player and record producer. He was a member of the British reggae band Matumbi, and released dub-reggae records under his own name as well as the pseudonym 'Blackbeard'....
) - I Roy's Doctor Fish (1981, Imperial) - also issued as The President (19??, Gorgon)
- Outer Limits (1983, Hawkeye)
- We Chat You Rock (1987, Trojan) with Jah WooshJah WooshNeville Beckford , better known as Jah Woosh was a Jamaican reggae deejay and record producer, primarily known for his work in the 1970s.-Biography:...
- The Lyrics Man (1990, Witty's)
- Head To Head Clash (1990, Ujama) with Prince Jazzbo
Compilations
- The Best Of (1977, GG's)
- Don't Check Me With No Lightweight Stuff (1997, Blood and Fire)
- Touting I Self (2001, HeartbeatHeartbeat RecordsHeartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington , Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood...
) - GTA san A. K-Jah west