Luciano is a superstar in his native Jamaica who, in the mid-90s, made his mark on the world market with his debut album, Where There Is Life, on the major label Island Jamaica. The album is comprised of some of his greatest Island hits and new material produced by Philip "Fatis" Burrell.
Luciano had his first hit, a cover of the McCartney-Stevie Wonder hit "Ebony and Ivory," in 1991 for Aquarius. Following that success he flooded the market with singles recorded on such labels as Big Ship, New Name Muzik, Sky High, and Star Trail.

Not content to sing pure reggae, Luciano frequently creates tunes containing elements from numerous musical genres that include r&b, African sounds, and lots of guitar licks as can be heard in songs such as "Just Like the Wind."

Luciano is a spiritual man who eschews the luxuries accorded to other performers, preferring instead to remain in touch with his listeners. He learned the value of a simple life the hard way when the pressures of continual recording and constant performing caused a sort of breakdown in the summer of 1993. To regroup, Luciano hightailed it to the hills for rest and meditation. He returned a changed man.

Through his music he now tries to inspire audiences to love their God and appreciate the beauty of nature.
- Sandra Brennan, All-Music Guide

A fresh wind of change has swept through the grassroots of reggae music, with singers and dee-jays alike turning towards the traditional themes of Rastafari, roots and culture. The greatest of these new Jamaican singer-songwriters is Luciano, a richly voiced balladeer and committed rootsman who is already being spoken of in the same terms as Jamaican superstars like Dennis Brown, Bob Marley and Freddie McGregor.
All inspired the young Jepther McClymont back home in Davey Town, a small community in the country parish of Manchester, Jamaica. After singing in the local church choir and being taught guitar by his father he eventually moved to Central Village in Kingston, working as an upholsterer whilst singing on sound-systems in the evenings.

From thereon he never looked back, recording his debut song Ebony & Ivory in 1992 for Aquarius record shop owner Earl Haynes. By then he'd been renamed after the Lucky Luciano movie character and before long was sharing a debut album release with fellow singer Presley for producer Sky High, playing most of the riddim tracks himself.

Luciano at Reggae Sumfest '98
Photo by Theo Smit
Courtesy Summerfest Productions Ltd
It was a start, but not altogether satisfactory. Frustrated by having to sing so many covers including versions of songs by Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley, he left for Castro Brown's New Name studio, where he recorded his first Jamaican hit Give My Love A Try in1993. It was at New Name where he met Freddie McGregor who encouraged Luciano to write and construct original material for his and Dalton Browne's Big Ship label.
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With license to work on both lovers and cultural songs as well as participate in his own preferred musical direction, the young singer's career quickly blossomed. Shake It Up Tonight became Luciano's first UK No. 1 reggae hit and soon led to an acclaimed album of the same name in early1994.
It was at this point that he auditioned for Phillip Fattis' Burrell's Xterminator label. Castro had failed to release Luciano's New Name album and Freddie's hectic touring schedule meant the Big Ship association began to falter, leaving Luciano to seek his future elsewhere.

After a decade of recording some of Jamaica's finest talent, Fattis was poised to become one of the all-time great reggae producers. His releases were famed for their incisive roots themes, invariably voiced over riddim tracks of real heavyweight status. He uses only the best musicians on his sessions, including Sly & Robbie, the Firehouse Crew, Dean Fraser and Third World's Cat Coore. With such expertise at hand, Luciano truly came into his own.

Photo by Stella Magliore
courtesy of DancehallMinded
"Fattis motivated me to push on more seriously with the culture" he says with characteristic modesty. I've always had material available but didn't get the chance to really express my ideas before. Now I'm writing international songs; songs I think will be in the interests of humanity.
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Luciano has remained loyal to Xterminator ever since, creating a rich legacy of work that is prized for its profusion of strong message songs as well as his exceptional vocal performances. Many have now become dancehall anthems; proof of his influence upon today's reggae market.
This sequence of Xterminator releases began with his Moving Up album; a set which included his early UK hits Poor & Simple and Chant Out. Back To Africa was next, another impressive collection hosting the hit singles Neighbourhood Watch, Wicked Haffe Run Way, the sublime Bounty Lover and lovers rock favourite Time Is The Master. By now his songs were all self-penned, and his every release eagerly awaited by a growing band of worldwide admirers.

Nor were they disappointed with his third Xterminator album One Way Ticket, with songs like Chant Down Babylon, Raggamuffin, UK hit One Way Ticket itself and the inspirational Turn Your Life Around, reinforcing his reputation as the most outstanding reggae artist of his generation.


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The scene was now set for wider recognition, and enhanced by his and Beenie Man's thrilling cover of Bob Marley's Crazy Baldhead for Sly & Robbie's Taxi label in early 1995. Yet even this record was eclipsed by his next release, the double A side single of Your World And Mine and It's Me Again Jah which Island Jamaica chose to be his debut after signing him to the label earlier that year.
Again produced by Fattis, these two songs topped reggae charts in Jamaica, New York and England, and were promptly followed by Luciano's most accomplished album to date, Where There Is Life. That set also contained wonderful songs like Who Could It Be - currently remixed as a hit crossover track in collaboration with U.S. rap group The Jungle Brothers - and is now regarded as a modern reggae classic.

Photo by Julian 'Ras' Schmidt

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More importantly, it at last brought him to the attention of a mainstream audience tired of ragga's obsession with guns, sex and violence. In Luciano they found a singer who embodies the timeless appeal of traditional roots reggae, yet brings to it a freshness of execution and purpose that is unrivaled among his dancehall contemporaries.
In the wake of the Where There Is Life album Luciano undertook several major tours, marking his first proper UK shows with a magnificent New Year's Eve performance in London and seeing his next single How Can You fly to the No. 1 slot on reggae charts worldwide.

That song is but one of many stunning moments from his latest album Messenger, his second for Island Jamaica. The consistency of his songwriting has now reached such heights of spiritual and musical expression that overground fame can only be a short step away for this humble, likable young man from the Jamaican ghetto. On the title track he announces he's come to teach the youths about roots and culture and does precisely that over eleven exceptional songs, all featuring the innovative sounds of Fattis and the Xterminator Crew as recorded in Jamaica's finest studios.

Listen to songs like Carry Jah Load, Friend In Need, the stirring Over The Hills or Never Give Up My Pride - itself voiced over a cut of Bob Marley's One Drop riddim - and you'll discover a singer with the most clearly defined agenda in reggae. He's a man on a mission; likening his work to a spiritual crusade for the benefit of all mankind but ever-mindful of the hardships he's left behind. Mama pays tribute to the struggles endured by not only his mother, but all mothers, and is a ballad, a love song with searing reality lyrics. Clearly here is a singer who hasn't forgotten where he's coming from, and tells his own rags-to-riches story on the triumphant Rainy Days, announcing that he's now ready for the world. With Life riding a delightful reggae/bossa nova riddim and Feel Like Moving - itself a successor to songs such as Moving Up and I'm Stepping On It recorded years earlier - showing just what a free spirit like himself can achieve with crossover ragga beats powering behind him, you'd better believe it.

Here is the very pulse of progressive Jamaican roots music. His is a vision shaped by love for humanity, and by placing the emphasis on cultural and spiritual issues once more. Luciano has helped elevate reggae music to a degree many would have thought impossible only a short time ago.
- Niceup Enterprises