Earl Sixteen

Earl Sixteen (born Earl John Daley, 9 May 1958) is a Jamaican reggae singer whose career began in the mid-1970s.

Biography

Daley grew up in Waltham Park Road, Kingston, and, influenced by American soul and Jamaican artists such as Dennis Brown, began his singing career by entering local talent shows. He became the lead vocalist for the group the Flaming Phonics, playing live around Jamaica. Daley decided to drop out of school to pursue his music career, which prompted his mother to throw him out of the family home. Needing to make some money, the group tried out for producer Duke Reid but left before finishing their recording due to his habit of firing live gunshots in the studio. They then worked with Herman Chin Loy, and Daley recorded his first solo track, "Hey Baby". The group split up, with Daley concentrating on his solo career. He recorded "Malcolm X" for producer Joe Gibbs in 1975—a track written by his school friend Winston McAnuff, and which was later successfully covered by Dennis Brown. In 1977, he joined Boris Gardiner's group, the Boris Gardiner Happening, which brought him into contact with Lee "Scratch" Perry. In the late 1970s, after a spell with Derrick Harriott...

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