Delroy Washington (5 November 1952 – 27 March 2020) was a Jamaican-British

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 best known for his releases for

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

in the late 1970s.

Biography

Born in

Westmoreland, Jamaica Westmoreland is the westernmost Parishes of Jamaica, parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island. It is situated south of Hanover, Jamaica, Hanover, southwest of Saint James, Jamaica, Saint James, and northwest of Saint Elizabeth ...

, Washington moved with his family to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in the early 1960s.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 315 His early experience in the music industry was as a session musician and tour manager. As a member of the band Rebel he recorded material for

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...

which was not released. In 1973 he released an independently produced single "Lonely Street" on the

Count Shelly Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

label. He recorded backing vocals for

The Wailers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

on the ''

Catch a Fire ''Catch a Fire'' is the fifth studio album by the reggae band The Wailers (aka Bob Marley and the Wailers), released in April 1973. It was their first album released by Island Records. After finishing a UK tour with Johnny Nash, they had sta ...

'' album, after befriending

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 ...

in the early 1970s, and he continued to provide backing vocals for Wailers albums until the late 1970s.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 315-6 Washington wrote songs with Marley and worked with him on making Marley's lyrics more suitable for European listeners.Masouri, John (2010) ''Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley's Wailers'', Omnibus Press, He also provided backing vocals on the debut album from Aswad. He continued to record as a solo artist and was one of the first reggae artists signed by Virgin Records in the mid-1970s, his "Give All the Praise to Jah" single became a success on the British reggae charts. He released two albums on Virgin, ''I Sus'' in 1976 and ''Rasta'' in 1977. Both albums featured musicians such as Al Anderson, Rico Rodriguez, and George Oban. After leaving Virgin he released a handful of singles on different labels up to the early 1980s. He appeared on the 1984

Jah Shaka Jah Shaka, also known as the Zulu Warrior is a Jamaican reggae/dub sound system operator who has been operating a South East London-based, roots reggae Jamaican sound system since the early 1970s. His name is an amalgamation of the Rastafarian t ...

album ''Message From Africa'', singing the opening track "Help One Another". Both of his Virgin albums were reissued in the early 2000s.Birchmeier, Jason
Delroy Washington 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 databa ...

, retrieved 22 September 2012 Washington founded the Federation of Reggae Music, which worked with

Brent Council Brent London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. It is based at Brent Civic Centre in Engineers W ...

to install a blue plaque on the house in

Neasden Neasden is a suburban area in northwest London, England. It is located around the centre of the London Borough of Brent and is within the NW2 ( Cricklewood) and NW10 (Willesden) postal districts. Neasden is near Wembley Stadium, the Welsh Har ...

where the Wailers lived in the early 1970s.Bewley, Hannah (2012)
Bob Marley's mark on Neasden honoured with a plaque
, ''Harrow Observer'', 20 September 2012, retrieved 22 September 2012 Washington was

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, but he followed a healthful lifestyle to manage the disease: He was a

pescetarian Pescetarianism (; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is the practice of incorporating seafood into an otherwise vegetarian diet. Pescetarians may or may not consume other animal products such as eggs and dairy products. Approximately 3% of adults ...

and practiced karate. Washington died in

on 27 March 2020 from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

.British reggae pioneer Delroy Washington dies
Published by Voice Online on March 27, 2020, and retrieved on the same day

Discography

Albums

*''I Sus'' (1976),

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

*''Rasta'' (1977), Virgin

Singles

*"Jah Man a Come" (1973), Lord Koos *"Lonely Street" (1973), Count Shelly *"Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (1973), Sir Christopher *"Freedom Fighters" (1976), Axum *"Give All the Praise to Jah" (1977), Virgin - 12-inch *"Memories" (1978), Burning Sounds - Delroy Washington & Jah Son *"It's Like Magic" (1980), Burning Vibrations - 12-inch *"Magic" (1980), Direction Discs/Ballistic - Delroy Washington Band *"Cool Rasta" (1980), Ballistic *"For Your Love" (1981), Ankh/ Pinnacle

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Delroy 1952 births 2020 deaths Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom Jamaican reggae musicians Afro-Jamaican People from Westmoreland Parish Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England