Biography
read full storyOne of reggae's greatest deejays, U-Roy rose to fame in the late 60's and early 70's with a string of hits that captured the attention of audiences both locally in Jamaica and abroad.
U-Roy was born in Jonestown, Jamaica on September 21st, 1942. His musical career began in 1961 when he began deejaying with various sound systems. As his skill and popularity grew, he eventually began working with King Tubby who was at the time experimenting with different types of equipment which led to the evolution of dub music. U-Roy was Tubby's choice for this new sound and the pair became very popular as local celebrities. His first recording was in 1969 for Keith Hudson, titled "Dynamic Fashion Way". he then went on to work with almost every top producer at the time including Peter Tosh, Lee Perry, Phil Pratt, Rupie Edwards, Bunny Lee and Alvin Ranglin.
U-Roy's success continued to grow with the production of a series of hit singles such as "Wear You To The Ball" and "Wake The Town". His popularity reached its peak with the album "Dread In Babylon" which famously pictured the deejay disappearing in a cloud of cannabis smoke while clasping an enormous chalice. The album also included a song titled "Chalice in the Palace" in which he fantasized about smoking with Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace. Not surprisingly, this song was especially popular in England.
By the 1980's he was one of Jamaica's biggest stars and he had achieved popularity in the UK as well. He went on to produce 12 albums during the duration of his music career.
U-Roy is credited with revolutionizing the style of reggae in the 60's and 70's as he was the first to gain recognition by "toasting", which was a technique of rapping over versions of popular songs remixed by King Tubby. This is why he is still hailed as one of Jamaica's finest first deejay stars.