Eric Donaldson (born 11 June 1947 in

Bog Walk Bog Walk is a town in the parish of Saint Catherine, Jamaica. In 1898 work started on a hydroelectric power plant on the Rio Cobre The Rio Cobre is a river of Jamaica. Its source is unclear, the headwaters being a writhing of unnamed, seaso ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

) is a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer-songwriter. He originated in Saint Catherine,

Biography

Born in Kent Village, about 2 miles from Bog Walk, Donaldson first recorded for Studio One in 1964, although producer

Clement 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 ...

declined to release the material.Prato, Greg
Eric Donaldson Biography
,

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 ...

. Retrieved 6 August 2014Alleyne, Mike (2012) ''The Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Sterling, , p. 70 In the mid-1960s he formed The West Indians with Leslie Burke and Hector Brooks, and they had a hit with the J.J. Johnson-produced "Right On Time" in 1968, going on to record with

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

and subsequently changing their name to the Kilowatts, but without further success. Donaldson then pursued a solo career, and submitted "Cherry Oh Baby" to the 1971 Jamaican Festival Song Competition, going on to win the competition and giving him a big Jamaican hit single. Donaldson has won the competition six times, in 1971, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1993 and 1997. "Cherry Oh Baby" has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by both

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

(on their 1976 album, ''

Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the 13th British and 15th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976 by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first recorded after former guitarist Mick Taylor quit ...

'') and

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

(on their 1983 album, ''

Labour of Love ''Labour of Love'' is the fourth studio album by British reggae band UB40, and their first album of cover versions. Released in the UK on 12 September 1983, the album is best known for containing the song "Red Red Wine", a worldwide number-one ...

''). The

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

has remained extremely popular – over thirty cover versions have been recorded, including an update by Donaldson himself. Two of his festival winners ("Sweet Jamaica" (1977) and "Land of My Birth" (1978)) were written by Winston Wallace. In an online poll held in 2013 by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, "Land of My Birth" was voted the most popular winner in the contest's history.Eric Donaldson tops festival poll
", ''

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 ...

'', 5 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2014 Donaldson currently lives in Kent Village, Jamaica.

Discography

Albums

*''Eric Donaldson'' (1971), Jaguar – reissued with bonus tracks as ''Love of the Common People'' *''Keep on Riding'' (1976),

Dynamic Sounds West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) was a recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica established by future Prime Minister Edward Seaga in 1958. Seaga recruited and recorded many artists such as Higgs and Wilson, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. As Seag ...

*''Kent Village'' (1978), Dynamic Sounds *''Juan De Bolas'' (1980), Dynamic Sounds – also released as ''Stand Up'' *''Rock Me Gentle'' (1981), Serengeti *''Come Away'' (1982), Dynamic Sounds *''Right On Time'' (1985), Dynamic Sounds *''Rocky Road'' (1986),

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

and

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 conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

Nigeria. *''The System'' (1985),

WEA The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of the ...

– reissued as ''Children of Jah'' *''Crazy You Crazy Me'' (1988) *''Trouble in Afrika'' (1991) *''Blackman Victory'' (1993) – reissued with bonus tracks as ''Beautiful Day'' *''Peace and Love'' (1998), Joe Gibbs – reissued as ''Young and Reckless'' *''In Action'' (2000), Roots & Culture – with Sil Bell & Keith Coley *''Mr. Pirate'' (2004), Ice – reissued as ''100% of Love''

Compilation albums

*''Cherry Oh Baby'' (1997),

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...

*''The Very Best of Eric Donaldson'' (1992),

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

*''Very Best of Eric Donaldson'' (1998), Musicrama *''Oh What a Feeling'' (1998), Rhino *''Beautiful Day'' (1999) *''Freedom Street'' (1999), Rhino *''Super Medley Hits'' (2000), T.P. *''Greetings'' (2001), Rhino *''The Very Best of Eric Donaldson Vol.1'' (2002), Rhino *''Anthology'' (2003), Creole *''Cherry Oh Baby'' (2003), Smith & Co *''Eric Donaldson Sings 20 Jamaica Classics'' (2004) *''Cherry Oh Baby (The Best Of)'' (2006),

References

External links

interview with Eric Donaldson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Eric Jamaican reggae musicians 1947 births Living people People from Saint Catherine Parish Rochester Institute of Technology alumni Trojan Records artists