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b.
1964, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Barrington Levy was
one of the first singers to challenge the dominance of DJs
in 80s dancehall reggae, although his earliest
recording, under the name of the Mighty Multitude ("My Black
Girl" in 1977), predated that era. Another early single, "A
Long Long Time Since We Don't Have No Love" in 1978,
followed the first into obscurity, but Barrington,
undaunted, went into the dancehalls. By 1981 Levy's
effortlessly buoyant voice had spread his fame to the point
where Henry "Junjo" Lawes, at the time the most in-demand
producer in Jamaica, pursued him. His first Junjo single was
"Ah Yah We Deh", which sold moderately well, as did two
further releases. His fourth single, "Collie Weed", was a
great success. Levy did not sound like anyone else: he
perhaps revealed some of Jacob Miller's style, and a little
of Bob Andy's influence, but his phrasing evoked the raw
energy of the dancehalls. While other singers were
struggling, Levy was slugging it out at the top. His debut,
Bounty Hunter, sold well and a string of singles
consolidated his position: "Robber Man", "Black Rose", "Like
A Soldier", the massive hits "Money Move" and "Shine Eye
Gal", and the stunning "Prison Oval Rock", and a series of
albums were released between 1982 and 1985 to capitalize on
his success. He later denounced many of these as "joke
business", being packaged with old singles, out-takes and
one-off private sound system recordings. He performed his
first UK gigs in 1984, including an appearance as a winner
at the UK Reggae Awards. He then linked with young producer
Jah Screw and enjoyed a big hit with "Under Mi Sensi". He
followed it with "Here I Come", which was a hit in the soul
clubs and scraped the UK charts when licensed by London
Records, who also issued an album of the same title.
However, Screw and Levy made the mistake of courting
crossover success and he sounded lost on subsequent rocky
singles. Levy travelled between Jamaica, London and New
York, and although he lost momentum at the end of the 80s,
he still had all the talent of his peak period, as Love The
Life You Live made clear. Two Bob Andy cover versions, "Too
Experienced" and "My Time", brought him back to the
forefront of reggae, and he signed to Island Records in 1991
for the fine Divine set. While it remains to be seen whether
he can ever achieve the broader success that seemed to be
his in the mid-80s, he remains one of reggae's most powerful
and original voices.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/levy_barrington/bio.jhtml
Jah The Creator
Reggae & Ska Twin Pack
Back To Back
Living Dangerously *
Time Capsule
Divine
Barrington
Turning Point
20 Vintage Hits
The Barrington Levy Collection 1979-89
Teach Me Culture
Here I Come
Life Style
Duets
Ras Portraits
Englishman/Robin Hood
Prison Oval Rock |
Photo
by Teacher/Reggae Vibes. |
