Eek‐A‐Mouse

Ripton Joseph Hylton (born 19 November 1957), known artistically as Eek-A-Mouse, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the earliest artists to be described as a singjay. He is known for pioneering his own style of scatting, differing from the-then toasting deejays in the 1980s. Apart from his distinctive vocal style, Eek-A-Mouse has been noted for often wearing flashy and eccentric costumes during his performances. In a 1985 interview, he explained: "Entertaining is not just singing and rapping to audiences. People want to see you in costume and dancing."

Early life, family and education

Ripton Joseph Hylton was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended college.

Career

Hylton began his music career when he was in college, releasing two roots reggae singles under his own name, which were produced by his mathematics tutor, Mr. Dehaney. These early works were influenced by the music of Pablo Moses. Hylton worked for various sound systems over the next few years and also released a few more singles. He adopted his stage name in 1979 after betting on a racehorse of that name; it was a nickname his friends had used for some time. He began recording for Joe Gibbs in 1979, having...

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