Wayne Ford Levy (born c.1981),Krewen, Nick (2017)

, ''Toronto Star'', August 5, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017. (Aged 36 in August 2017) known by his stage name Exco Levi, is a

Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...

-based, Jamaican-Canadian

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 ...

musician.Patrick, Ryan B. (2017)
Exco Levi, Canada's Most Acclaimed Reggae Artist, Faces an Uphill Climb
, ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017Exco Levi — sticking to his roots
, ''

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 ...

'', 6 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015 Levi has won five

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

s."Gord Downie wins three Junos at music awards gala dinner Saturday night"
''London Free Press'', Lynn Saxberg and Peter Hum. April 1, 2017

Career

Born in

Harmons Harmons Grocery Company, doing business as Harmons Neighborhood Grocer, is an upscale supermarket chain located within the state of Utah, United States, with 19 stores throughout the Wasatch Front and in the St. George area. Description In a ...

in Manchester Parish, Jamaica, Levi's early singing experience came from the school choir. His father, Michael 'Mr Cool' Levy worked as a selector on the Super Soul sound system in Clarendon. He moved to Canada in 2005, and started his recording career in 2007, releasing the single "O' Canada" that year.Panjwani, Radhika
"Canada’s high priest of reggae Exco Levi finds a spot in Brampton’s Walk of Fame"
, ''Brampton Guardian'', September 19, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2017 His 'Exco' stage name is a reference to his football idol,

Andrés Escobar Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (; 13 March 1967 – 2 July 1994) was a Colombian footballer who played as a defender. He played for Atlético Nacional, BSC Young Boys, and the Colombia national team. Nicknamed ''The Gentleman'', he was known ...

. Levi was introduced to producer Donovan Germain by

Richie Stephens Richard Stephenson (born 5 December 1966), better known as Richie Stephens is a Jamaican R&B, dancehall and reggae singer and producer. Biography Born in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica,

, and the two began working together. His track "Bleaching Shop", recorded with Germain, won the

for Reggae Recording of the Year in 2012. He also won Junos for "Storms of Life" (2013), and "Strive" (2014).Exco Levi strives for Juno triple
, ''

'', 12 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014 He has also worked with German producers Silly Walks. In December 2014 he performed at Sting, and in January 2015 he was on the bill of

Rebel Salute Rebel Salute is an annual music festival held in Jamaica. It is held on January 15 of every year, the birthday of promoter Tony Rebel. It is one of Jamaica's biggest music festivals, known for its focus on roots and conscious music. Rebel began th ...

. In March 2015 he released his second album, ''Country Man''. He won a fourth Juno Award for 2015's "Welcome the King". In 2016, Levi was living and maintaining a studio in

, Ontario, while also working at times in Jamaica. That year he was inducted into the

Brampton Arts Walk of Fame The Brampton Arts Walk of Fame is an honours system located at the Rose Theatre Brampton, in Ontario, Canada. It previously was known as the Brampton Walk of Fame, or Art Walk of Fame. The first currently recognized inductions took place in 2014 ...

. In 2017, Levi won a fifth Juno Award for his reggae song "Siren". In November 2017, Levi released his third album, ''Narrative'', featuring guest contributions from

Raging Fyah Raging Fyah is five-piece reggae band from Kingston, Jamaica, formed in 2006. They released their first album in 2011, and in 2016 signed to VP Records, with third album ''Everlasting'' earning them a Grammy nomination. Career Delroy "Pele" Hamil ...

and

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

. In 2019, Levi was nominated for a Juno Award for the seventh time in eight years for his ''Narrative'' album which was produced by Silly Walks from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In 2020, the song "Wah Gwaan" earned Levi his eighth Juno nomination. Most recently Levi received his ninth Juno Award nomination in 2022, for the song "By Any Means".

Discography

Albums

*''Words of the Wise'' EP (2014), VP *''Country Man'' (2015),

High Priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

*''Narrative'' (2017), Silly Walks Discotheque *''Black Creek'' EP (2021), High Priest

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levi, Exco Canadian reggae musicians Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year winners Musicians from Brampton Living people 21st-century Black Canadian male singers Jamaican emigrants to Canada Jamaican reggae singers 21st-century Jamaican male singers People from Manchester Parish Year of birth missing (living people) 1980s births