Earl Sixteen (b. Earl John Daley, 9 May 1958, Kingston, Jamaica)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, , p. 152 is a

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 whose career began in the mid-1970s.

Biography

Daley grew up in Waltham Park Road, Kingston, and, influenced by American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and Jamaican artists such as

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...

, began his singing career by entering local talent shows. He became the lead vocalist for the group The Flaming Phonics, playing live around Jamaica. Daley decided to drop out of school to pursue his music career, which prompted his mother to throw him out of the family home. Needing to make some money, the group tried out for producer

Duke Reid Arthur "Duke" Reid CD (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner. He ran one of the most popular sound systems of the 1950s called Reid's Sound System, whilst Duke himself was known as The Troja ...

, but left before finishing their recording for him due to his habit of firing live gunshots in the studio. They then worked with Herman Chin Loy, with Daley cutting his first solo track, "Hey baby". The group split up, with Daley concentrating on his solo career. Daley recorded "Malcolm X" for producer

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and ...

in 1975 - a track written by his school-friend Winston McAnuff, and which was later successfully covered by

. In 1977, he joined

Boris Gardiner Boris Gardiner (born 13 January 1943) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter and bass guitarist. He was a member of several groups during the 1960s before recording as a solo artist and having hit singles with " Elizabethan Reggae" (in 1970), " I Wann ...

's group, The Boris Gardiner Happening, which brought him into contact 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 ...

. In the late 1970s, after a spell with

Derrick Harriott Derrick Clifton Harriott OD (born 10 February 1942) is a Jamaican singer and record producer. He was a member of the Jiving Juniors with Herman Sang before embarking on a solo career. He has produced recordings by Big Youth, Chariot Riders, ...

, Daley recorded four tracks at Perry's Black Ark studio, including the original recording of "White Belly Rat", also meeting Earl Morgan of

The Heptones The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady into ...

, who later produced his album, ''Shining Star''. In the early 1980s he recorded singles for a variety of producers including

Linval Thompson Leval Alphonso Thompson (born 12 October 1954, Kingston, Jamaica), also known as Linval Thompson, is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and record producer. Biography Thompson was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, but spent time with his mother in ...

, Augustus Pablo,

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 ...

Sugar Minott Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott (25 May 1956 – 10 July 2010)Campbell, Howard (2010)Reggae singer Sugar Minott dies at 54, Associated Press, 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010Peru, Yasmine (2010)Godfather of Dancehall, Sugar Minott, dead at ...

Yabby You Vivian Jackson (14 August 1946 – 12 January 2010), better known as Yabby You (or sometimes Yabby U), was a reggae vocalist and producer, who came to prominence in the early 1970s through his uncompromising, self-produced work. Biography Jac ...

, and Derrick Harriott, and recorded his debut album with

Mikey Dread Michael George Campbell (4 June 1954 – 15 March 2008), better known as Mikey Dread, was a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster. He was one of the most influential performers and innovators in reggae music. Biography Born in Port Anton ...

. He teamed up with

Roy Cousins Roy Anthony Cousins (born 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer, producer, and record label owner, known for being lead singer and co creator of The Royals, his productions of artists such as Charlie Chaplin, Prince Far I, Sci ...

for two albums, ''Julie'' and ''Special Request''. Earlier material recorded for Studio One was released as 1985's ''Showcase'' album. In 1985, after spending time in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, he relocated to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, fathering a child. His child's mother knew

Mad Professor Mad Professor (born Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) is a Guyanese-born British dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music ...

, who Daley began working with. He also worked with other British producers such as Stafford Douglas. One of his tracks from this era was a cover version of "Holding Back The Years", which had been a big hit for

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since th ...

. Returning to Jamaica, he worked briefly with

King Jammy Lloyd James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub ma ...

. In the 1990s he made guest appearances on tracks by

Leftfield Leftfield are a British electronic music duo formed in 1989 as the duo of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley (the latter formerly of the Rivals and A Man Called Adam). The duo was very influential in the evolution of electronic music in the 1990s, wi ...

, and he has been one of the two vocalists for the UK electronica/reggae band

Dreadzone Dreadzone are a British electronic music group. They have released eight studio albums, two live albums, and two compilations. Career Dreadzone were formed in London, England in 1993 when ex-Big Audio Dynamite drummer Greg Roberts teamed up ...

since 1995. He signed to WEA for his major label debut album, 1997's ''Steppin' Out'', which was nominated for a MOBO award. Earl has continued touring and working with Dreadzone band, as well as joining

on tours. Recently, Earl has been working with producers in the UK and Europe, as well as doing shows with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency, worldwide as a Reggae Ambassador. He started his own label, Merge Production, releasing previously unreleased vinyl from the 1970s and 1980s. He also released an album on Merge Production, "Walls Of The City" - Earl 16 Meets Nick Manasseh in March 2013, featuring both British and international artists, on vinyl, digital download and CD.

Discography

Albums

*''Reggae Sounds'' (1981) DATC *''Julie'' (1982)

*''Super Duper'' (1982) Time *''Special Request'' (1983) Roy Cousins *''Shining Star'' (1983) Vista *''Songs For a Reason'' (1983) Vista *''Songs of Love and Hardship'' (1984) Kingdom *''Showcase'' (1985) Studio One *''Year 2000'' (198?) Oswald Music *''Babylon Walls'' (1991)

Ariwa Mad Professor (born Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) is a Guyanese-born British dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub musi ...

*''Boss Man'' (1992) Carib Sounds *''Not For Sale'' (1993) Next Step *''Phoenix of Peace'' (1993) *''Rootsman'' (1994) Rhino *''Steppin' Out'' (1997) WEA *''Wonderous Works'' (2000) Gussie P *''Cyber Roots'' (2001) Epark *''Soldiers of Jah Army'' (2003) Patate *''Mash Up The Dance: Earl Sixteen live with No More Babylon'' BMG *''Feel The Fire'' WEA Allemagne *''Wake Up'' (2006) Ariwa *''The Fittest'' (2011) JahSolidRock Music/HeartBeat Europe *''Walls of the City'' arl 16 Meets Nick Manasseh(2014) *''Earl 16 vs. Ken Parker'' (2016) Roy Cousins

Selected singles

*"Freedom" (1977) Upsetter *"Trials and Crosses" (1981) Thompson Sound *"No Mash Up the Dance" arl Sixteen and Mike Brooks(1993) Top Beat *"Can't Conquer We" (2005) King Shiloh *"The Joker" arl 16 with The Mighty Dub Generators(2014) Scion Recordings *"Red" (2015) Roots Inspiration

Appearances

Release the Pressure "Release the Pressure" is the third single by the English electronic duo Leftfield and the first to involve Paul Daley with writing duties after he joined the group. The song was released exclusively on 12" in 1992. Unlike previous releases that ...

(12", 1992) *'' Second Light''

(1995) *"Zion Youth" readzone(1995) *"Life, Love and Unity" readzone(1995) *''

Leftism Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

'' eftfield(1996) *"Release the Pressure" eftfield(1996) *'' Biological Radio'' readzone(1997) *''

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

'' readzone (2001) *'' Laika Come Home'' ( Spacemonkeyz vs. Gorillaz) (2002) *''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...

'' readzone(2005) *''

Eye on the Horizon ''Eye on the Horizon'' is the sixth studio album by the British band Dreadzone Dreadzone are a British electronic music group. They have released eight studio albums, two live albums, and two compilations. Career Dreadzone were formed in ...

'' readzone(2010) *''Escapades'' readzone(2013) *''Dread Times'' readzone(2017) *''Dreadzone Presents Dubwiser Volume One'' (2019) *''Space Song'' ubioza kolektiv(2020)

References

External links

Earl Sixteen at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sixteen, Earl 1958 births Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians