Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a

Rastafarian Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control ...

and one of the most influential and long-standing roots artists to emerge from the 1970s.Larkin, Colin (2002) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music'', Virgin Books, , p. 57

Early life

Winston Rodney was born in Saint Ann's Bay,

Saint Ann According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come ...

, Jamaica. As a young man he listened to the R&B, soul and jazz music transmitted by the US radio stations whose broadcasts reached Jamaica.

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

is cited by Rodney as a major US musical influence along with

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. 'Our Music': New Reggae from Burning Spear by Christopher Johnson
NPR Radio Show transcription 19 October 2005. Retrieved 27 April 2013 Rodney was deeply influenced as a young man by the views of the political activist

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

, especially with regard to the exploration of the themes of Pan-Africanism and self-determination. In 1969,

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

, who was also from Saint Ann, advised Rodney to approach

Coxsone Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent a ...

's Studio One label after Rodney sought his advice during a casual conversation.Thompson, Dave: ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', 2002, Backbeat Books, , p. 51-54Jackson, Kevin (2004)
Audience appreciation gives Burning Spear the drive to continue
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 23 July 2004. Retrieved 20 September 2009Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 95

Career

Burning Spear was originally Rodney's group, named after a military award given by

Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...

, the first President of an independent

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, and included bass singer Rupert Willington. The duo auditioned for Dodd in 1969 which led to the release of their debut single "Door Peep" (the session also included

Cedric Brooks Cedric "Im" Brooks (27 April 1943 – 3 May 2013) was a Jamaican saxophonist and flautist known for his solo recordings and as a member of The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, The Sound Dimensions, Divine Light, The Light of Saba, and The Skatali ...

on saxophone). They were then joined by tenor Delroy Hinds. The trio recorded several more singles for Dodd, and two albums, before they moved on to work with

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner and alleged associate of the Chicago Outfit who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of th ...

in 1975. Their first recording with Ruby, "Marcus Garvey", was intended as an exclusive track for Ruby's

Ocho Rios Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica, and is more widely referred to as ''Ochi'' by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth in the ...

–based Hi-Power sound system, but was released as a single, giving them an immediate hit, and was followed by "Slavery Days". These recordings featured the backing band The Black Disciples, which included

Earl "Chinna" Smith Earl "Chinna" Smith (born 6 August 1955), a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest,Johnson, Richard (2013)The Melchizedek way, '' Jamaica Observer'', 6 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013 is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late ...

Valentine Chin Albert Valentine "Tony" Chin is a Jamaican guitarist, who has collaborated with many reggae artists including Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor, Bunny Wailer, Big Youth, U-Roy, Max Romeo, Don Carlos, Mikey Dread, Burning ...

Robbie Shakespeare Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare (27 September 1953 – 8 December 2021) was a Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, best known as half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as ...

and

Leroy Wallace Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace (born 22 August 1950) is a Jamaican drummer who worked for several years at Studio One, and has worked with numerous reggae artists including The Gladiators, Inner Circle,Hebdige, Dick (1987) ''Cut 'n' Mix: Culture, ...

. The group worked with Ruby on their third album, ''

'' (1975), which was immediately successful and led to a deal with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

to give the album a wider release. Island remixed and altered the speed of some of the tracks, much to the annoyance of fans and the group,Greene, Jo-Ann "

Burning Spear Biography Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combustion ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Macrovision Corporation leading Rodney to set up his own Burning Music label for future releases where he would have full control, although further releases followed on Island including ''

Garvey's Ghost ''Garvey's Ghost'' is the fourth album by the reggae artist Burning Spear, released in 1976 on Island Records, ILPS 9382. Each track is a dub version of its correspondent song on his third album, ''Marcus Garvey''. Content This album was fashio ...

'', a dub album, and the ''

Man in the Hills ''Man in the Hills'' is a reggae album by Jamaican musician Burning Spear (Winston Rodney), released in 1976 (see 1976 in music) on Island Records. ''Man in the Hills'' was follow-up to the seminal ''Marcus Garvey (album), Marcus Garvey''; ''Man ...

'' album. In late 1976, Rodney split from both Ruby and group members Willington and Hinds, and from that point on used the name Burning Spear for himself alone. ''Dry and Heavy'' followed in 1977, self-produced but still on Island, and with a sizeable following by now in the United Kingdom, he performed in London that year with members of Aswad acting as his backing band for a sold-out show at the

Rainbow Theatre The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Finsbury Park Astoria, is a Grade II*-listed building in Finsbury Park, London. The theatre was built in 1930 as a cinema. It later became a music venue. Today, the building is used by the Universa ...

, which was recorded and released as the album ''Live!''. Aswad also provided backing on his next studio album, '' Social Living'' (1978), which also featured

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...

and Rico Rodriguez. A dub version of the album, ''Living Dub'' (1979), was mixed by Sylvan Morris. His profile was raised further by an appearance in the film '' Rockers'', performing "Jah no Dead". In 1980, Rodney left Island Records and set up the Burning Music Production Company, which he signed to

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

, debuting on the label with ''

Hail H.I.M. ''Hail H.I.M.'' is a studio album by the Jamaican musician Burning Spear, released in 1980. He supported the album with a North American tour. Critical reception '' Trouser Press'' considered "African Postman" and "Columbus" to be classics. The ' ...

'', recorded at Marley's

Tuff Gong Tuff Gong is the brand name associated with a number of businesses started by Bob Marley and Rita Marley#Children, the Marley family. 'Tuff Gong' comes from Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari ...

studio and co-produced by

Aston Barrett Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre. History Aston wa ...

. A Sylvan Morris dub version followed in the form of ''Living Dub Volume Two''. In 1982, Rodney signed with

Heartbeat Records Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of L ...

with a series of well-received albums following, including the 1985

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated ''Resistance''. He returned to Island in the early 1990s, releasing two albums before rejoining Heartbeat. This arrangement in which Burning Music Productions delivered completed albums of music to EMI, Island and Heartbeat Records for worldwide distribution lasted for many years. When Heartbeat ceased releasing new material, Burning Music took matters into their own hands and began to release music solely through their own imprint. Albums released by Heartbeat through an agreement with Burning Music include: ''The World Should Know'' (1993), ''Rasta Business'' (1995), ''Appointment with His Majesty'' (1997) and the Grammy award winning ''Calling Rastafari'' (1999) which was the last completed album to be solely pressed by an outside label. Burning Spear spent decades touring extensively, and several live albums have been issued including ''Burning Spear Live'', ''Live in Paris'', ''Live in South Africa'', ''Live in Vermont'', ''Peace and Love Live'', ''Live at Montreux Jazz Festival'' and ''(A)live 1997''. Touring the world time and time again, the band's live sound matured and grew more sophisticated. While remaining firmly rooted in reggae, accents of free jazz, funk and psychedelic music were increasingly in evidence. His 1999 album, ''

Calling Rastafari Calling Rastafari is a studio album by Jamaican reggae singer Burning Spear. It was released on August 24, 1999 through Heartbeat Records. Recording sessions took place at Grove Music Studio in Ocho Rios. The album peaked at number 9 on the Regga ...

'' brought his first

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 2000,Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 45-46 a feat which he repeated with ''

Jah Is Real ''Jah Is Real'' is a studio album by Jamaican reggae singer Burning Spear. It was released on August 19, 2008 through Burning Music. Recording sessions took place at The Magic Shop in New York City. The album peaked at number 3 on the Reggae A ...

'' in 2009.Rodman, Sarah (2009)
Roots-reggae pioneer keeps it ‘Real’
, ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', 3 July 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2009 In 2000 Home to My Roots Tour he performed in Cape Town, South Africa alongside other reggae icon Joseph Hill with

Culture (band) Culture are a Jamaican roots reggae group founded in 1976. Originally they were known as the African Disciples. The one constant member until his death in 2006 was Joseph Hill. History The group formed in 1976 as the vocal trio of Joseph Hi ...

. In 2002 he and his wife, Sonia Rodney who has produced a number of his albums, restarted Burning Music Records, giving him a greater degree of artistic control.Brooks, Sadeke (2009)
Grammy Nods Burning Spear optimistic
", ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 1 February 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2009 Since the mid-1990s, he has been based in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

in New York City.Baxter, Nicky (1996)
Reggae Torch Bearer: Burning Spear remembers the days of slavery
, ''

Metroactive ''Metro'' is a free weekly newspaper published by the San Jose, California, based Metro Newspapers. Also known as ''Metro Silicon Valley'', as well as ''Metroactive'' online, the paper serves the greater Silicon Valley area. In addition to prin ...

'', 15–21 February 1996. Retrieved 20 September 2009 Burning Spear was awarded the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...

in the rank of Officer on 15 October 2007. Since establishing their own label, Winston and Sonia Rodney have released nearly forty singles, CDs, DVDs and vinyl albums on the Burning Music imprint. Many of these albums have been deluxe editions of albums previously available on other labels and often include bonus tracks and DVD footage. In 2016 Rodney announced his retirement, but in 2022 it was announced that he would perform at the

Rototom Sunsplash Rototom Sunsplash is a large European reggae festival which takes place every summer at Benicàssim, a few miles north of Valencia in Spain. Since 1994, it attracts thousands of reggae fans from all over the world, thanks to a vast cultural and m ...

festival in Spain, and on the 'Welcome to Jamrock' cruise in December. Rodney is playing three shows in California in July 2022. One in San Francisco on July 22, the next in San Diego on July 23, and the final in Los Angeles on July 24. He is scheduled to play at the Levitt Pavillion, Denver, Colorado; on July 30, 2022. Two tour dates in the UK in 2022, August 13th at Forum Birmingham, and August 14th O2 Academy Brixton London.

Discography

Awards

Burning Spear has won two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album; one at the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000 for ''Calling Rastafari'', and one for 2009's ''Jah Is Real''. He has been nominated for a total of 12 Grammy Awards. Nominations for Best Reggae Album: *1986 '' Resistance'' * 1988 '' People of the World'' * 1990 '' Live in Paris Zenith '88'' * 1991 ''

Mek We Dweet ''Mek We Dweet'' is a studio album by the Jamaican reggae singer Burning Spear, released in 1990 via Island Records. The recording sessions took place at Tuff Gong Recording Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston. Burning Spear supported the album b ...

'' * 1994 '' The World Should Know'' * 1996 ''

Rasta Business ''Rasta Business'' is a studio album by Jamaican reggae singer Burning Spear. It was released in 1995 through Heartbeat Records. Recording sessions took place at Grove Recording Studio in Ocho Rios. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Re ...

'' * 1998 '' Appointment with His Majesty'' * 2000 ''

'' * 2004 ''

Free Man ''Free Man'' is a studio album by Jamaican reggae singer Burning Spear, released in 2003. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, Best Reggae Album at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004. Track listing #"Trust" #" ...

'' * 2006 '' Our Music'' * 2008 ''

The Burning Spear Experience ''The Burning Spear Experience'' is a studio album by Jamaican reggae singer Burning Spear. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in L ...

'' * 2009 ''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burning Spear 1945 births Living people Converts to the Rastafari movement Jamaican Rastafarians Island Records artists Slash Records artists Performers of Rastafarian music Jamaican reggae singers Jamaican songwriters 21st-century Jamaican male singers Grammy Award winners People from Saint Ann Parish Officers of the Order of Distinction 20th-century Jamaican male singers