Ernie Smith

Glenroy Anthony Michael Archangelo Smith (1 May 1945 – 16 April 2026) was a Jamaican reggae singer, with a deep baritone voice, who had his greatest success in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Life and career

Smith was born as Glenroy Anthony Michael Archangelo Smith in Kingston, Jamaica on 1 May 1945. He was raised in St. Ann and May Pen. His father played guitar and bought him an instrument when he was twelve. He played guitar in the band The Vandals in Claremont, St. Ann, after leaving school, and was nicknamed 'Ernie' after Ernest Ranglin. He initially (unsuccessfully) sought a career as a radio announcer, but then approached Federal Studios looking for work as a songwriter, ending up recording his songs himself. His first recordings were not a success and Smith spent time working in life insurance before returning to the studio.

Recording initially in an easy listening style, Smith's first chart success came in the late 1960s with "Bend Down", which was followed by Jamaican number one hits in "Ride on Sammy", "One Dream", and "Pitta Patta", all produced by Richard Khouri at Federal, the latter based on Lee "Scratch" Perry's "Musical Transplant" riddim, which was voted the best song...

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