Rudolph "Garth" Dennis (2 December 1949 – 9 December 2021) was a Jamaican musician who was a founder member of

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...

, later a member of

The Wailing Souls The Wailing Souls (originally The Renegades) are a Jamaican reggae vocal group whose origins date back to the 1960s. The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years with Winston "Pipe" Matthews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald the only c ...

for ten years before returning to Black Uhuru in the mid-1980s, and also recorded as a solo artist.

Life and career

Dennis was born on 2 December 1949 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 ...

. He grew up in

Trenchtown Trench Town (also Trenchtown) is a neighbourhood located in the parish of St. Andrew, part of which is in Kingston, the capital and largest city of Jamaica. In the 1960s, Trench Town was known as the Hollywood of Jamaica. Today Trench Town is t ...

, and became friends with

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 ...

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963� ...

, and

Bunny Wailer Neville O'Riley Livingston (10 April 1947 – 2 March 2021), known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. ...

. His older sister, Joanne, had a hit in Jamaica in 1964 with "You're Wondering Now", as part of the duo Andy & Joey (with Reuben Anderson).All eyes on Garth Dennis
, ''

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 ...

'', 29 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019 He formed Black Uhuru in 1972 with

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...

and Duckie Simpson.Moskowitz, David V. (2005) ''Caribbean Popular Music'', Greenwood Press, , p. 33 After the group's early releases Dennis left, going on to join the Wailing Souls in the mid-1970s, staying with them during their successful Channel One era.Prahlad, Sw. Anand (2001) ''Reggae Wisdom: Proverbs in Jamaican Music'', University Press of Mississippi, , p. 216 When the core members of the Wailing Souls moved back to Jamaica in 1985 after a period in the United States, Dennis stayed behind, but later returned to Jamaica to rejoin the re-formed original lineup of Black Uhuru. With Black Uhuru, Dennis recorded the

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 ...

-nominated 1991 album ''Now'' and three further albums (along with dub versions). When Simpson left the group, Dennis and Carlos continued as Black Uhuru until December 1997, but Simpson also claimed the name, winning a legal case in 1998.Borzillo, Carrie (1995)
Black Uhuru Members Tangle With Label and With Each Other
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', 29 April 1995, p. 11. Retrieved 30 August 2015 In 2008 Dennis returned to the Wailing Souls.The 'Souls' Reunite
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 7 October 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2015 His first solo album, ''Trenchtown 19 3rd Street'', which featured

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...

and

Carlton "Santa" Davis Carlton "Santa" Davis (born 21 November 1953) is a musician from Jamaica, primarily known for his drumming with bands such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Aggrovators, Soul Syndicate and Roots Radics. He has worked with reggae artists such as ...

, was released in February 2015.Campbell, Howard (2015)
Garth Dennis Goes Back to Trench Town
", ''

'', 30 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015 His second solo album was due for release in early 2020. Dennis died from complications of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on 9 December 2021 at Kaiser Hospital in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

. He was 72 years old.

Discography

Solo

Albums

*''Trenchtown 19 3rd Street'' (2015)

Singles

*"Slow Coach", Sydna

with the Wailing Souls

*''Wild Suspense'' (1979),

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

*''Wailing'' (1981), Jah Guidance *''Fire House Rock'' (1981),

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 ...

*''Soul & Power'' (1981), Studio One *''Inchpinchers'' (1982), Greensleeves *''Baby Come Rock'' (1983), Joe Gibbs Music *''On The Rocks'' (1983), Greensleeves *''Stranded'' (1984), Greensleeves

with Black Uhuru

Source: *''Now'' (1991), Mesa/

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

*''Now Dub'' (1991), Mesa *''Iron Storm'' (1992), Mesa *''Iron Storm Dub'' (1992), Mesa *''Mystical Truth'' (1992), Mesa *''Mystical Truth Dub'' (1993), Mesa *''Live'' (1993), Sonic Sounds *''Strongg'' (1994), Mesa *''Strongg Dub'' (1994), Mesa

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dennis, Garth 1949 births 2021 deaths Jamaican male singers Jamaican reggae singers Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica