U-Roy
Encyclopedia
U-Roy OD
, is a Jamaican musician
, also known as The Originator. He is best known as a pioneer of toasting.
ing at various sound systems. This included a stint operating Sir Coxsone Dodd's Number Two set, while King Stitt "The Ugly One" ran the main set. U-Roy eventually worked with King Tubby
at Duke Reid
's Sound System in the late 1960s. Around this period, King Tubby had started to experiment with his studio equipment in an attempt to create new effects and sounds, which would eventually lead to a new style of Reggae called dub music
. With U-Roy as his most prominent deejay and with access to some of Treasure Isle Studios' finest rocksteady rhythms, King Tubby's new sound became extraordinarily popular and U-Roy became a local celebrity. However, his first single "Earth's Rightful Ruler" was not a King Tubby collaboration; it was recorded with Peter Tosh
for Lee "Scratch" Perry.
He recorded
Dynamic Fashion Way (his first successful release) for Keith Hudson
in 1969, and then went on to work with almost every major producer on the island: Lee Perry, Peter Tosh
, Bunny Lee
, Phil Pratt
, Sonia Pottinger
, Rupie Edwards
, Alvin Ranglin
and Lloyd Daley
.
In 1970, Jamaican singer John Holt
who was the lead vocalist of The Paragons became a fan of U-Roy's technique. Working with Duke Reid
, U-Roy's fame grew through a series of singles, including "Wake the Town
" and "Wear You to the Ball".
U-Roy's success continued throughout the 1970s, perhaps most famously with the album Dread in a Babylon, produced by "Prince" Tony Robinson and propelled by the album's skank
smash hit "Runaway Girl". The album cover featured an iconic picture of U-Roy disappearing in a thick cloud of cannabis
smoke while holding a chalice
and included the song "Chalice in the Palace", which in a satirical manner he imagines smoking ganja
with Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
in Buckingham Palace
. U-Roy had become one of Jamaica's biggest stars by the early 1980s, also garnering significant acclaim in the United Kingdom
.
His most recent album was 2000's Serious Matter.
U-Roy was awarded Jamaica's Order of Distinction
in the rank of Officer on October 15, 2007.
The music of U-Roy was frequently played on Joe Strummer
's London Calling (BBC World Service
) radio show.
from the starting gate to the last furlong". U-Roy working with Duke Reid created a "version" of the Paragon's "Wear You to the Ball" which became the first "toast" record to make an impact in 1969.
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
, is a Jamaican musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, also known as The Originator. He is best known as a pioneer of toasting.
Biography
U-Roy's musical career began in 1961 when he began deejayDeejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
ing at various sound systems. This included a stint operating Sir Coxsone Dodd's Number Two set, while King Stitt "The Ugly One" ran the main set. U-Roy eventually worked with King Tubby
King Tubby
King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...
at Duke Reid
Duke Reid
Treasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
's Sound System in the late 1960s. Around this period, King Tubby had started to experiment with his studio equipment in an attempt to create new effects and sounds, which would eventually lead to a new style of Reggae called dub music
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
. With U-Roy as his most prominent deejay and with access to some of Treasure Isle Studios' finest rocksteady rhythms, King Tubby's new sound became extraordinarily popular and U-Roy became a local celebrity. However, his first single "Earth's Rightful Ruler" was not a King Tubby collaboration; it was recorded with Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
for Lee "Scratch" Perry.
He recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
Dynamic Fashion Way (his first successful release) for Keith Hudson
Keith Hudson
Keith Hudson aka the "Dark Prince of Reggae" , was a Jamaican reggae artist and record producer.He is known for his influence on the Dub movement.- Biography :...
in 1969, and then went on to work with almost every major producer on the island: Lee Perry, Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
, 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:...
, Phil Pratt
Phil Pratt
Phil Pratt, born George Phillips is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.Phil Pratt worked at Studio One for Coxsone Dodd as a box-loader during the rocksteady period when Lee Perry was operating there, before moving to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s...
, Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD was a Jamaican reggae record producer.The most important Jamaican woman involved in music business, Sonia Pottinger was the first female Jamaican record producer and produced artists from the mid 1960s until the mid 1980s.Married to music producer Lyndon Pottinger, she...
, Rupie Edwards
Rupie Edwards
Rupie Edwards is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.-Biography:...
, Alvin Ranglin
Alvin Ranglin
Alvin 'GG' Ranglin is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.-Biography:Ranglin started to sing in public in his teens with an Adventist Church background. As a radio and television technician involved in the jukebox industry, he soon acquired his own sound system he named "GG"...
and Lloyd Daley
Lloyd Daley
Lloyd Daley also known as Matador is a Jamaican electronic technician, sound system pioneer and reggae producer.-Career:...
.
In 1970, Jamaican singer John Holt
John Holt (singer)
John Holt is a reggae singer and songwriter.-Biography:Holt was born in Kingston in 1947. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns...
who was the lead vocalist of The Paragons became a fan of U-Roy's technique. Working with Duke Reid
Duke Reid
Treasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
, U-Roy's fame grew through a series of singles, including "Wake the Town
Wake the Town
"Wake the Town" is a reggae song recorded by U-Roy.Jamaican toaster U-Roy put the country on notice when the refrain "Wake the town, tell the people" first rang out of dancehalls and clubs in Jamaica in 1970. The song was one of the first major hits of the genre, taking reggae music to the next...
" and "Wear You to the Ball".
U-Roy's success continued throughout the 1970s, perhaps most famously with the album Dread in a Babylon, produced by "Prince" Tony Robinson and propelled by the album's skank
Skank (dance)
Skanking is a form of dancing practiced in the ska, ska punk, hardcore punk, reggae, and other music scenes.The dance style originated in the 1950s or 1960s at Jamaican dance halls, where ska music was played. British mods and skinheads of the 1960s adopted these types of dances and altered them...
smash hit "Runaway Girl". The album cover featured an iconic picture of U-Roy disappearing in a thick cloud of cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
smoke while holding a chalice
Chalice (pipe)
A Chalice, also known as a Wisdom Chalice or Chillum Chalice, is a type of smoking pipe used most often by members of the Rastafari movement. It is a sort of water pipe with a hose, or drawtube, for inhaling. The water cools and filters the smoke and the hose provides additional airspace for cooling...
and included the song "Chalice in the Palace", which in a satirical manner he imagines smoking ganja
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
with Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. U-Roy had become one of Jamaica's biggest stars by the early 1980s, also garnering significant acclaim in the United Kingdom
United 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...
.
His most recent album was 2000's Serious Matter.
U-Roy was awarded Jamaica's Order of Distinction
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
in the rank of Officer on October 15, 2007.
The music of U-Roy was frequently played on Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
's London Calling (BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
) radio show.
Style
Calling himself, "your ace from outer space", U-Roy revolutionized the musical style of reggae in 1969. Even though U-Roy was not the first microphone artist, he was the first to gain recognition through recording this style. U-Roy popularized and gained a wider audience for "toasting"; rapping over "versions" of popular songs remixed by King Tubby. Considered one of Jamaica's first Deejay stars, "U-Roy raised the art of toasting to new heights. He didn't just spit a few phrases here and there, he rode the riddimRiddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm," but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the "voicing" sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for...
from the starting gate to the last furlong". U-Roy working with Duke Reid created a "version" of the Paragon's "Wear You to the Ball" which became the first "toast" record to make an impact in 1969.
Discography
- Version Galore - 1970
- Version Galore Vol 2 - 1972
- U Roy - 1974
- Dread In a Babylon - 1975
- Natty Rebel - 1976
- The Best of U Roy - 1976
- African Roots - 1976
- Rasta Ambassador - 1977
- Jah Son Of Africa - 1978
- With Words of Wisdom - 1979
- The Originator - 1980
- Love Gamble - 1980
External links
- Smokeyroom's Version Galore
- [ U-Roy biography at the Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
]