Fathead (born Vernon Rainford; c. 1960 – 19 October 1988) was 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 ...

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

best known for his collaborations with

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

in the early 1980s.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.109-110

Biography

Fathead was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

, and was already an established deejay when he began working with Yellowman, during the peak of the latter's popularity between 1980 and 1982. The pair performed regularly at the ''Aces Disco'' in St. Thomas, and recorded a live album there (the first ever live dancehall album),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'',

Rough Guides Rough Guides Ltd is a British travel guide book and reference publisher, which has been owned by APA Publications since November 2017. In addition to publishing guidebooks, the company also provides a tailor-made trips service based on customer ...

, , p.256-7 ''Live at Aces'', which was sufficiently successful for studio follow-ups ''Bad Boy Skanking'' and ''For Your Eyes Only'' (both 1982). Other albums featuring the duo were ''One Yellowman'', ''Supermix'', and ''The Yellow, The Purple, and the Nancy'', the latter also featuring Purpleman and

Sister Nancy Ophlin Russell (born on 2 January 1962), better known as Sister Nancy (or Muma Nancy), is a Jamaicans, Jamaican dancehall Deejay (Jamaican), DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a ...

. With Yellowman concentrating on solo material, Fathead went on to work with others, having a hit in 1983 with "It's Me", and collaborating with

Beenie Man Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay. Biography Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...

Early B Earlando Arrington Neil, better known by his stage name Early B, was an early dancehall and reggae deejay whose lyrics had a cultural bent, noted mainly in his hits ''Visit of King Selassie'', ''History of Jamaica'' and ''Wheely Wheely'', the ...

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

, and

Ranking Toyan Toyan aka Ranking Toyan (born Byron Letts, died 1991) was a Jamaican reggae deejay active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings. Biography Toyan began his career in 1974, deejaying on Kingston's sound systems, suc ...

. Yellowman and Fathead were reunited in 1984 for the ''Showdown vol. 5'' album, split between the duo and Purpleman. Rainford was murdered in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

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 territorie ...

on December 22, 1988, dying from a gunshot wound. During an interview with Winston Foster (Yellowman) carried out by Steve Day in Brighton, England on 4 November 2009, Yellowman confirmed that Fathead (Vernon Rainford) was actively involved in the Miami drug trade. It was this involvement that would lead to his death.Simmonds, Jeremy (2008) ''The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches'', Chicago Review Press, , p.209

Discography

Albums

*''Live at Aces'' (1982) VP/Jah Guidance (Yellowman & Fathead) *''Bad Boy Skanking'' (1982)

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English Fol ...

(Yellowman & Fathead) *''For Your Eyes Only'' (1982) Arrival (Yellowman & Fathead) *''One Yellowman'' (1982) Hitbound (Yellowman & Fathead) *''Supermix'' (1982) Volcano (Yellowman & Fathead) *''Yellowman Fathead and the One Peter Metro'' (1982) Absissa (Yellowman, Fathead, and Peter Metro) *''

The Yellow, The Purple & The Sister Nancy ''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 m ...

'' (1982) Greensleeves (Yellowman & Fathead, Purpleman, & Sister Nancy) *''Showdown Vol 5'' (1984) Hitbound (Yellowman & Fathead & Purpleman)

Singles

*"It's Me"/"Wha Dat" (1983) *"That's The Sound" (w/ King Mellow Yellow, 1984) *"Wha-Do-Dem-So" (w/ King Mellow Yellow, 1984) *"Rat Trap" *"Come Me A Come" *"Champion" *"Stop All The Fight"

References

External links

Fathead
at Roots Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Fathead Jamaican dancehall musicians 1988 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians Year of birth missing