Barrington Levy
| Barrington Levy | |
|---|---|
 Barrington Levy in Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Barrington Ainsworth Levy |
| Born | 30 April 1964 |
| Origin | Clarendon, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae, dancehall, reggae fusion, ragga Jungle |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | MCA Records |
| Website | www.barringtonlevy.net |
Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964)[1] is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.
Contents |
Career [edit]
Levy was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. In 1976, he formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977.[1][2] Levy established his solo career the next year with "A Long Time Since We Don't Have No Love";[2] though the single was a failure, the fourteen-year-old was a popular performer at Jamaican dancehalls.[3] In 1979, Levy met Henry "Junjo" Lawes and Hyman Wright, both record producers, and recorded several singles with the Roots Radics, including "Al Yah We Deh", "Looking My Love", "Englishman", "Skylarking", "Wedding Ring Aside" and "Collie Weed", all of which became hits and established Levy's career. Levy's next few singles were similarly successful, including "Shine Eye Girl", "Wicked Intention", "Jumpy Girl", "Disco Music", "Reggae Music", "Never Tear My Love Apart", "Jah", "You Made Me So Happy" and "When You're Young and in Love". Levy then recorded several duets with Toyan, Jah Thomas and Trinity, and appeared at Reggae Sunsplash in 1980 and 1981.[2] Although albums were not terribly important in Jamaica at the time, Levy released four albums before 1980: Shaolin Temple, Bounty Hunter, Shine Eye Gal (United Kingdom) and Englishman, a critically acclaimed record. His success led to many earlier studio and sound system performances being reissued without his consent, releases he described as "joke business".[2][4]
By the time his 1980 album Robin Hood was released, Levy was one of the biggest Jamaican stars, and saw his international fame growing as well, especially in the United Kingdom. Taking a break from albums, Levy then released a series of hit singles, including "Mary Long Tongue", "In the Dark", "Too Poor", "I Have a Problem", "Even Tide Fire a Disaster", "I'm Not in Love", "You Have It", "Love of Jah", "Under Mi Sensi", "Tomorrow Is Another Day", "Robberman", "Black Roses", "My Woman" and "Money Move".[2] He began working with Paul "Jah Screw" Love and toured the UK in 1984, where he enjoyed a big hit on the reggae charts with "Under Mi Sensi", which was followed by the crossover hit "Here I Come", which reached number 41 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985.[5] He returned to LPs with Lifestyle and Money Move, followed by a British hit album called Here I Come; Levy received the Best Vocalist prize at the British Reggae Awards in 1984.[2] The late 1980s saw Levy, now in his twenties, slow down his recorded output, though he continued to perform and record regularly, and played at Sunsplash every year from 1987 to 1995.[2] His fortunes were revived by two cover versions of Bob Andy songs - "My Time" and "Too Experienced", both produced by Jah Screw,[1] and he was signed by Island Records in 1991 for the Divine album.[4] In 1991 he returned to the UK chart with "Tribal Base", a single by Rebel MC featuring Levy and Tenor Fly, which reached number 20.[2] In 1993, Levy tried to break in the United States with the Barrington album, produced by Lee Jaffe, Andre Betts and Sly & Robbie, but it failed to give him the breakthrough he wanted and his relationship with MCA Records was short-lived.[2]
In the 1990s, Levy continued to release periodic hits in Jamaica, and more rarely in the UK, although his vocals were sampled and used in many underground and released jungle tunes. In 1998, he released Living Dangerously, which included a collaboration with one of Jamaica's most prolific deejays, Bounty Killer, and with Snoop Dogg. The release was one of Levy's most successful since the start of the 1990s, and saw him finally achieve some success in the US.[3] Levy performed on two tracks on Long Beach Dub All Stars 1999 album Right Back, and also played a few shows with the band. He was featured on a 1999 track by the Rascalz titled "Top Of The World", also featuring K-os. Levy also appeared on two singles by rapper Shyne ("Bad Boyz" and "Bonnie & Shyne"), and on a track for drum and bass artist Aphrodite's 2000 album Aftershock. "Here I Come" returned to the charts in 2001, with a new version by Levy and Talisman P reaching number 37 in the UK.[6]
In 2004, he contributed to a track on the album White People by Handsome Boy Modeling School, a project by Prince Paul and Dan the Automator. He also did some collaborations with Slightly Stoopid on their 2005 album Closer To The Sun. Most recently, Levy made a guest appearance on the single "No Fuss" by Red-1 of the Rascalz, from his 2007 album Beg For Nothing.
"Here I Come" is also featured in Saints Row 2 and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.
He also appeared on a demo for Jadakiss' latest album The Last Kiss called Hard Times
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
| Album Name | Year Released | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Bounty Hunter | 1979 | Jah Life Records |
| Sunshine Gal | 1979 | Burning Sounds |
| English Man | 1979 | Greensleeves Records |
| Robin Hood | 1980 | Greensleeves Records |
| Do Reh Me | 1980 | JB |
| Run Come Ya! | 1981 | Jah Life Records |
| 21 Girls Salute | 1982 | Jah Life Record |
| Poor Man Style | 1983 | Trojan Records |
| Lifestyle | 1983 | GG's |
| Teach Me Culture | 1983 | Live & Learn |
| Money Moves | 1983 | Powerhouse |
| Here I Come | 1984 | Greensleeves Records |
| Barrington Levy Meets Frankie Paul (with Frankie Paul) |
1984 | Arrival |
| Barrington Levy | 1984 | Clocktower |
| Prison Oral Rock | 1985 | Volcano Records |
| Open Book | 1985 | Tuff Gong Records |
| Clash of the 80s (with Cocoa Tea) |
1986 | Cornerstone |
| Love The Life You Live | 1988 | Time |
| Live and Learn Presents: Beres Hammond & Barrington Levy (with Beres Hammond) |
1990 | Live and Learn |
| Divine | 1991 | Island Records (sub. division Mango Records) |
| Turning Point | 1992 | Greensleeves Records |
| Barrington | 1993 | MCA Records |
| Time Capsule | 1996 | RAS Records |
| Living Dangerously | 1998 | Breakaway Records |
| Too Experienced: The Best of Barrington Levy (compilation album) |
1998 | VP Records |
| Duets DJ Counteraction |
1995 2000 |
RAS Records Greensleeves Records |
| Under Me Sensi | 2000 | Greensleeves Records |
| This Is Crucial Reggae: Barrington Levy | 2004 | RAS Records Sanctuary Records |
| Wanted (CD & DVD) |
2005 | 2B1 |
| Teach The Youth (Compilation album) Charted at number 10 in the Billboard Reggae album chart |
2008 | VP Records |
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Greene, Jo-Ann. "Biography: Barrington Levy". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 147-149
- ^ a b Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p. 175-6
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 168-9
- ^ "Barrington Levy", Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-07-18
- ^ "Talisman P Meets Barrington Levy", Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-07-18
External links [edit]
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