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"The Godfather of Dancehall" is
the well-deserved moniker for
Johnny Osbourne describing his
contribution to reggae music as
it evolved from the local
Jamaican community to the
international arena. A string of
hits dating from the late
sixties through the nineties
defines Johnny's longevity and
artistic ability.
Johnny Osbourne was born in 1947
and grew up in Kingston,
Jamaica. He became interested in
music while attending the Alpha
Boys School, a school renowned
for both strong discipline and
excellent musical education.
Past attendees who went on to
musical greatness include Tommy
McCook, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore,
Lester Sterling, Don Drummond,
Cedric "Im" Brooks, and Rico
Rodriguez, just to name a few.
Johnny sang in the school choir,
the church choir, and played
trumpet in the Alpha band.
Later, as lead singer with the
band the Wildcats which included
Earl "Bagga" Walker on bass
guitar, he recorded his first
song, "All I Have Is Love."
Johnny Osbourne began to hang
around with singers Bunny Brown
and Tinga Stewart, and with the
Sensations and Techniques
groups. At that time, the
Sensations were Jackie Parris,
Buster Riley, and Bobby Davis.
With the Sensations, he sang
lead on the recordings,
"Warrior," "Come Back Darling,"
"See and Blind," and "Fish
Mouth," for producer Winston
Riley and Riley's new Techniques
label. In 1969, these songs and
others were compiled for the
Come Back Darling LP, credited
to Johnny Osbourne and the
Sensations. Very shortly after
finishing the tracks for his
debut album, Johnny migrated to
Canada. Musically, he was
frustrated. Although he was
singing in a band called Ishan
People which included members of
the In Crowd band, his name
wasn't getting out there as he
would have liked.
Johnny returned to Jamaica just
as Clement Dodd's Studio One
label was about to reassert
itself and rejuvenate the music
scene with a new sound with ties
to the past. It would be known
as the dancehall sound. Clement
Dodd was always looking for
fresh talent, and Johnny
Osbourne, Sugar Minott, Freddie
McGregor, Michigan & Smiley, and
Willie Williams all made the cut
and were able to record for the
legendary producer who had
recently upgraded his recording
studio to 16 tracks. Johnny has
recalled that Studio One was
where he always wanted to be but
didn't get the chance before
1979. Hit making Kingston
studios were having great
success with their versions of
Studio One rhythms, so Clement
Dodd fired back by remixing his
own originals and providing them
as rhythm tracks for a new breed
of singer.
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The Truths
and Rights LP was released in 1979. It was a collection of 10
new Johnny Osbourne songs, 9 of them over classic Studio One
rhythms with musical overdubs. In 1980, with his innovative
Studio One album under his belt, Johnny reunited with producer
Lloyd "Prince Jammy" James, who had been his friend in Canada,
to record the Fally Ranking album. The same year, Fally Lover, a
Henry "Junjo" Lawes production, was released. With 3 current
albums with the top producers, musicians, and engineers, Johnny
had firmly established himself as a successful, in-demand
dancehall singer. Throughout the rest of the decade, he recorded
no less than 15 albums. His most enduring hit to date is "Buddy
Bye" on which he rides King Jammy's production of Wayne Smith's
"Sleng Teng" rhythm.
Although Johnny Osbourne recorded less during the 1990s, his
output was well-received and he stayed current by working with
dancehall's young producers. In 1992, Heartbeat reissued his
Studio One debut, Truths and Rights. It was included in Reggae
100 Essential CDs: The Rough Guide. Johnny also spent time with
Clement Dodd at Dodd's Brooklyn studio and record store,
contributing the song "Run Up Your Mouth" to the 1996 album,
Current Artists at Studio One. The song was recorded on a
version of Delroy Wilson's 1972 hit, "Run Run." To this day,
Johnny Osbourne continues to record for a variety of producers
and perform live.
No doubt songs like Come Back Darling, Truth & Rights, Reasons,
Jah Promise, Sing Jah Stylee, Water Pumping, Ice Cream Love, All
I have Is Love, Warrior, Yo-Yo, Buda Bye, In your Your Eyes,
Give A Little Love, Fally Lover, Love Is Universal Groovin, Sexy
Thing, Little Sound Boy and many others are omni-present in the
minds of reggae music lovers. His classic Warrior was sampled by
reggae legends Bunny Wailer and Marcia Griffiths. British Reggae
group, UB40 recorded Come Back Darling, which peaked at ..10 on
the UK Charts in 1998. Johnny's songs have also been sampled by:
Zero 7, Bim Sherman, Beastie Boys and many others. His five star
rated album titled Truths And Rights on Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's
Studio One Label, ranks among reggae's all time classic albums.
Blessed with an eclectic voice, and an unparalleled style,
Johnny's music transcends genres and generations. Reggae
historian Roger Steffens affirms, "A 25-year career that shows
no signs of letting up, from soulful reggae to a massive
dancehall catalog, Osbourne's warm voice filled with conviction
and yearning, is one of the island's best". After more than 3
decades that sound is distinct and fresh as ever.
Listen to Johnny Osbourne's
Music
Johnny
Osbourne Links:
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