Earl Zero

Earl Anthony Johnson (born 1953), better known as Earl Zero, is a Jamaican roots reggae artist, whose career began in the 1970s. He is the uncle of Toronto rapper Raz Fresco.

History

Born 1953 in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston, Johnson was the eldest of ten children, his father a fisherman and his mother a fishmonger. Zero began his career in the 1970s, first as a member of the group Rush-It with his childhood friend Earl "Chinna" Smith, who recorded for producer Bunny Lee, who gave him the name 'Earl Zero' to distinguish him from Smith. His song "None Shall Escape the Judgement" was a hit for Johnny Clarke when recorded by the singer in 1974, and proto punk garage band artist Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers had a UK #5 hit with an instrumental version of "None Shall Escape the Judgement" in 1977 titled "Egyptian Reggae". The track was included on the album Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers. Although the writing credit was originally given to Richman, later reissues of the track credited Earl Zero.

Zero first had success as a singer himself with the Al Campbell-produced "Righteous Works" in 1975. He recorded for Don Mais' Roots Tradition label (recording "Home...

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