Michael Rose

Michael Rose (born 11 July 1957) is a Jamaican reggae singer. He is most widely known for a successful tenure as the lead singer for Black Uhuru from 1977 to 1984, followed by a lengthy solo career. He has been praised as "one of Jamaica's most distinguished singers" and for launching a distinctive form of reggae singing that originated in his home neighborhood of Waterhouse in Kingston.

Career

Rose began performing at talent contests and in the Jamaican hotel circuit as a teenager, and recorded his first single "Woman a Gineal fe True" at age 15 with producer Newton Simmons. Rose's childhood friend Sly Dunbar then introduced him to producer Niney the Observer, with whom he recorded several singles in 1972. Rose also recorded a song with Lee "Scratch" Perry during this period.

Rose spent the next several years honing his songwriting, releasing Born Free discomix in 1976 for Yabby You, whuch was later re-released on Steve Barrow’s Blood and Fire (record label) in 1997. In 1977, Dunbar introduced him to Derrick "Duckie" Simpson, the leader of reggae group Black Uhuru. That group was undergoing a significant lineup change that also included the addition of singer Puma Jones. Rose...

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