Freddie McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon,

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

n singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old.

Biography

In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to form

The Clarendonians The Clarendonians are a ska and rocksteady vocal group from Jamaica, active initially from the mid- to late 1960s. They reformed in the 1990s and continue to perform live. History The Clarendonians were originally Fitzroy "Ernest" Wilson and P ...

, and began to record for the Studio One

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

. He was only seven years old at the time and was known as 'Little Freddie'. He was also a member of the Generation Gap. McGregor converted to

Rastafari 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 of ...

in 1975. He is a member of the

Twelve Tribes The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, throu ...

organisation. McGregor worked with producer

Niney the Observer Winston Holness, better known as Niney the Observer (born George Boswell, 1951, Montego Bay, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, . is a Jamaican record producer and singer who was a key figure in the cre ...

during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in the same period was part of the resurgence of Studio One. His popularity soared in the early 1980s with the release of "Bobby Babylon". Other popular

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

of McGregor's include "Big Ship", "Push Comes to Shove", "

Just Don't Want to Be Lonely "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" is a song written by Bobby Eli, John Freeman and Vinnie Barrett, originally recorded in 1973 by Ronnie Dyson and popularized internationally by The Main Ingredient. Dyson's version reached No. 60 in the US Pop chart, ...

" (a top ten hit in the UK), and "I Was Born a Winner"; as well as

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of many early

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 ...

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

. He has also worked with producers Junjo Lawes,

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 ...

, and

Gussie Clarke Augustus "Gussie" Clarke (born 1954) is a reggae producer who worked with some of the top Jamaican reggae artists in the 1970s and later set up his own Music Works studio. Career Clarke started working in the music industry by cutting dub plat ...

. McGregor has also recorded as a drummer with artists such as

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 ...

and

Judy Mowatt Judith Veronica Mowatt, (born 1952) is a Jamaican reggae artist. As well as being a solo artist, from 1974 she was also a member of the I Threes, the trio of backing vocalists for Bob Marley & The Wailers. Early life Mowatt was born in Go ...

. McGregor has also toured extensively for many years. He secured a licensing agreement with

RAS Records RAS Records, also known as Real Authentic Sound, is a reggae record label. History RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there. By the early to mid-1980 ...

in US and released ''Come on Over'' in 1983. McGregor's albums in the 2000s were ''Signature'' and ''Anything for You'', which received a

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 ...

nomination. He established the Big Ship label in 1983, and has produced many artists including

Papa San Tyrone Thompson, (born July 1, 1967)
better known as Papa San, is a Jamaic ...

Lieutenant Stitchie Cleveland Laing (born 29 September 1965), better known as Lieutenant Stitchie, is a Jamaican deejay who originally worked in the dancehall style but switched to gospel reggae in 1997 after surviving a car crash, thereafter working under the sho ...

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

, Luciano and Mikey Spice. In a 2011 interview, he expressed concern that many veteran artists, including himself, struggled for local radio play of their newer material, which he felt may be "lost" over time as a result. His album ''Di Captain'', released in August 2012, featured

Etana Etana (, ''E.TA.NA'') was the probably fictional thirteenth king of the first dynasty of Kish. He is listed in the ''Sumerian King List'' as the successor of Arwium, the son of Mashda, as king of Kish. The list also calls Etana "the shepherd, ...

and

Gappy Ranks Jacob Lee Williams (born c.1983),Serwer, Jesse (2011)From Harlesden to Yokohama: UK reggae star Gappy Ranks, ''The Guardian'', 7 April 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2014 better known as Gappy Ranks, is an English dancehall musician of Jamaican a ...

. In 2013, he received a Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Caribbean Studies. One of McGregor's three sons, Stephen "Di Genius" McGregor, is a

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

record producer. More recently, he had signed a deal with Warner Chappell Music.

Discography

Albums

*''Bobby Babylon'' (1979), Studio One *''Mr. McGregor'' aka ''Freddie McGregor'' (1979), Observer/Jackal/56 Hope Rd/Mercury *''Lovers Rock (Showcase Jamaica Style)'' (1981), Live & Love *''Roots Man Skanking'' (1982) Clocktower *''I Am Ready'' (1982), Coxsone/Studio One *''Love at First Sight'' (1982), Intense *'' Big Ship'' (1982) *''Come on Over'' (1983),

RAS Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...

*''Rhythm So Nice'' (1983), Thompson Sounds *''Across the Border'' (1984), RAS *''All in the Same Boat'' (1986), RAS *''Freddie McGregor'' (1987),

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

*''Don't Want to Be Lonely'' Studio One *''Live at the Town & Country Club'' (1991), VP *''FM'' (1992), High Times *''Live in London 1991'' (1993),

Charly ''Charly'' (marketed and stylized as ''CHAЯLY'') is a 1968 American drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson and written by Stirling Silliphant. It is based on ''Flowers for Algernon'', a science-fiction short story (1958) and subseque ...

*''Sing Jamaican Classics Vol.1 '' *''Masterpiece'' (1997), VP *''Jamaican Classics Vol.2'' (1998), Big Ship *''Magic in the Air'' (1999), Big Ship *''Zion Chant'' (1999), Heartbeat *''Signature'' (2000), VP *''Rumours'' (2000), Greensleeves *''Carry Go Bring Come'' (2000), Greensleeves *''Hard to Get'' (2000), Greensleeves *''Forever My Love'' (2000), RAS *''Push On'' (2002), Big Ship *''Lovers Rock'' (2003), Prestige *''Anything for You'' (2002), VP *''Reggae Max'' (2003), Jet Star *''Heart Is Willing'' (2003), Charm *''Rhythms of My Heart'' (2004), Nuff *''Comin' in Tough '' (2005), VP *''Mister Eudaric Riddim'' (2009) *''Mr.McGregor'' (2009), VP *''Giants'' (2009), Joe Gibbs Publishing *'' Di Captain'' (2013), VP *''True to My Roots'' (2016), Big Ship/VP

UK hit singles

The following were hits on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

DVDs and videos

Freddie McGregor releases

*''Live'' Video Music, Inc. (DVD)

Various artists releases featuring McGregor

*''A Reggae Christmas'' (1988) RAS *''Sunsplash '90 – Reggae Rockers'' (1990) Wienerworld (DVD) *''The Reggae Movie'' (1996) Geneon (DVD) *''Golden Voices of Reggae'' (2005) Island MVD (DVD) *''Western Consciousness Pt 2'' (2005) Island MVD (DVD) *''iDrop Riddim (aka Rootstime Riddim)'' (2013) Rootstime production / Asani Ali music

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGregor, Freddie 1956 births Living people Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican male singers Jamaican record producers People from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica Jamaican Rastafarians Trojan Records artists Converts to the Rastafari movement VP Records artists Heartbeat Records artists