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Earl Zero was
born in the poorer Greenwich
Town area of Kingston, Jamaica.
By the mid 1970s, when Zero
began to meet fellow
neighbor-musicians such as
guitar luminary Earl "Chinna"
Smith, Greenwich Town was an
area ripe for the flowering of
Rasta, and Zero's songs, such as
"Shackles and Chains," among
others, began to reflect this
way of life.
In 1975, a young Earl Anthony
Johnson was dying for a chance
to record a song he had written
entitled "None Shall Escape the
Judgment." The same year, Z
discovered local producer Edward
"Bunny" Lee, through bassist and
friend George "Fully" Fullwood.
After weeks of pestering
"Striker," as the producer was
also known, Lee finally gave in
and recorded Zero with his song,
utilizing Earl "Chinna" Smith,
Carlton "Santa" Davis on drums,
and Aston "Family Man" Barrett
on bass. Z was thrilled, but
Striker had other ideas--he saw
the song as a perfect vehicle
for his protege/star Johnny
Clarke. When Clarke's version
hit the streets, it was an
instant hit.
Undaunted by this experience,
Zero continued to compose more
songs of wisdom, protest, and
awareness, and linked up with
fellow Greenwich Townians,
producers Bertram Brown and
Errol "Don" Mais. In 1976 "Home
Sweet Home" was released on the
Roots Tradition label, followed
by "Please Officer" and "City of
the Wicked" which appeared on
the Freedom Sounds outlet. He
also recorded for producer Tommy
Cowan. In 1978, Zero appeared in
a film which featured the Soul
Syndicate (along with with
Augustus Pablo and other
contributors) entitled Word,
Sound and Power.
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By 1979, Zero was good friends
with the Soul Syndicate, which
was Chinna and Santa, and
"Fully" Fullwood on bass, and
Tony Chin on rhythm guitar. The
Soul Syndicate had already
recorded an album for Epiphany
Records two years previously
(Harvest Uptown, Famine
Downtown) and Zero was
introduced to Epiphany Records'
owner/producer Warren Smith.
After listening some of Zero's
recordings, Smith was
immediately enthusiastic about
recording "Z." The Soul
Syndicate were already familiar
with Zero's work and Visions of
Love emerged effortlessly from
the high-quality roots studio
Channel One. The album's release
allowed Zero to build a strong
fan base in Northern California.
While Zero's catalog of work
might not be vast, his
songwriting talents were noticed
by Jimmy Cliff, who covered
"Please Officer." In Visions of
Love, Zero's songs singing melds
perfectly with the Syndicate's
musical "concept," and Visions
is a classic, dread work which
has withstood the test of time.
2010
saw the release of "And God Said
To Man." Produced in Spain
by Roberto Sanchez, this A-Lone
Productions album is a showcase
album that features some wicked
vocals and killer dubs including
a remake of his infamous tune
"None Shall Escape The
Judgment."
Earl
Zero has been a regular on the
lineup of the Sierra Nevada
World Music Festival. We
are pleased to present him yet
again, this time singing along
with fellow
Greenwich Town friend Prince
Alla.
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Bio by Mark Gorney
Earl Zero
Links:
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