Big Youth

Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica), better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s.

He commented, "Deejays were closest to the people because there wasn't any kind of establishment control on the sound systems".

Biography

Early career

Before beginning his musical career, Buchanan worked as a diesel mechanic at Kingston's Sheraton Hotel, where he would develop his toasting skills while he worked, and was nicknamed "Big Youth" by his co-workers. He started to perform at dances, initially influenced by U-Roy, and became a regular with Lord Tippertone's sound system by 1970, becoming the resident deejay, and attracting the attention of Kingston's record producers. His early 45 singles for producers such as Jimmy Radway ("The Best Big Youth"), Lee Perry ("Moving Version") and Phil Pratt ("Tell It Black") were artistically and commercially unsuccessful.

1970s peak

By 1972 he had begun working with Augustus "Gussie" Clarke, a teenage producer whose rhythms and singers were more in tune with the vibes on the streets of Kingston, and "The Killer" (on a version...

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