Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

duo

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was releas ...

. He is also famous for a

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 ...

of "

Ain't No Sunshine "Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album '' Just As I Am,'' produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar. String arran ...

". Andy is often described as one of the most respected and influential singers in Jamaica.

Biography

Early days

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 ...

, Hinds recorded his first single, "This is a Black Man's Country," in 1967 for producer

Phil Pratt Phil Pratt, born George Phillips (born 1942 in Kingston, Jamaica)Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 316. is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer. Career Phil Pratt worked at Studio One for Coxsone ...

. "This is a Black Man's Country" failed to make an impact, and it wouldn't be until 1970 that he achieved a breakthrough. After unsuccessfully auditioning at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One as a duo along with Frank Melody, he successfully auditioned on his own a few days later. Dodd decided Hinds should record as Horace Andy, partly to capitalise on the popularity of

Bob Andy Keith Anderson CD (28 October 1944 – 27 March 2020), better known by the stage name Bob Andy, was a Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter. He was widely regarded as one of reggae's most influential songwriters. Early life Anderson was bor ...

, and partly to avoid comparisons with his cousin,

Justin Hinds Justin Hinds (7 May 1942 – 16 March 2005) was a Jamaican ska vocalist, with his backing singers the Dominoes. He is best known for his work with Duke Reid's Treasure Isle Records, where his most notable song, "Carry Go Bring Come" recorde ...

, with whom his singing style at the time showed a resemblance. "Got To Be Sure", the song he had auditioned with, became his first release for Studio One. The following two years saw the release of further singles such as "See a Man's Face", "Night Owl", "Fever", and "Mr. Bassie". One of Andy's most enduring songs, "Skylarking", first appeared on Dodd's ''Jamaica Today'' compilation album, but after proving a sound system success, it was released as a single, going on to top the Jamaican chart. The next few years saw Andy regularly in the reggae charts with further singles for Dodd such as "Something on My Mind", "Love of a Woman", "Just Say Who", and "Every Tongue Shall Tell", as well as singles for other producers such as "Lonely Woman" (for

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, ...

), "Girl I Love You" (Ernest and

Joseph Hoo Kim Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim (10 December 1942 – 20 September 2018) was a Jamaican reggae record producer best known for his productions in the 1970s at his Channel One Studios. Career Born to parents of Chinese heritage, Joseph Hoo Kim grew up in ...

), "Love You to Want Me" and "Delilah" ( Gussie Clarke), and "Get Wise", "Feel Good", and "Money Money" for Phil Pratt. Andy had a second Jamaican number one single in 1973 with "Children of Israel". Andy's most successful association with a producer, however, was with

Bunny Lee Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...

in the middle part of the 1970s. This era produced a series of singles now regarded as classics such as a re-recorded "Skylarking", "Just Say Who", "Don't Try To Use Me", "You Are My Angel", "Zion Gate", "I've Got to Get Away", and a new version of "Something on My Mind". In 1977, Andy moved to

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, with his first wife, Claudette, where he recorded for Everton DaSilva, including the ''In The Light'' album and its associated dub album, and singles such as "Do You Love My Music" and "Government Land". Andy set up his own ''Rhythm'' label, which became an outlet for his work with DaSilva. The association with the producer was brought to an abrupt end when DaSilva was murdered in 1979. Andy's 1978 album ''Pure Ranking'' had anticipated the rise of dancehall reggae, and he was a key figure in the early development of the genre, confirmed by 1982's ''Dance Hall Style'' album. Andy continued to record with a variety of producers in the first half of the 1980s. In 1985, with his second wife Caroline, he relocated to

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also a name given ...

, London, and he recorded in the United Kingdom as well as regularly visiting Jamaica for further recording work.

Mainstream success with Massive Attack and after

1990 saw Andy's profile further raised when he began collaborating with

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

trip hop pioneers

, going on to contribute to all five of their albums (the only artist to do so), most notably on "Angel" (a new version of "You Are My Angel"), released on their third album, '' Mezzanine'', and later on their 2010 release ''

Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

'' with the tracks "

Splitting the Atom Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons, and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radioac ...

" and "Girl I Love You". In the mid-1990s he also worked with

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 ...

, releasing the albums ''Life Is For Living'' and ''Roots and Branches''. He then continued to record new music, with the album ''Living in the Flood'', released in 1999 on Massive Attack's Melankolic record label, and ''Mek It Bun'' in 2002. He also featured on the world music project 1 Giant Leap and on the

Easy Star All-Stars Easy Star All-Stars is a reggae collective founded in 1997 by Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein of New York City-based Easy Star Records. The band is known for its reinterpretations of classic albums in reggae styl ...

2006 album ''

Radiodread ''Radiodread'' is a 2006 tribute album by the Easy Star All-Stars that covers Radiohead's 1997 album ''OK Computer'' in reggae, ska and dub styles. History ''Radiodread'' producer and arranger Michael Goldwasser said: :''OK Computer'' has el ...

''. 2022 saw the release of Andy's album ''Midnight Rocker'', produced by

Adrian Sherwood Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing techniques ...

of On-U Sound. Andy's vocals were recorded in Jamaica, with the tracks sent back and forth between vocalist and producer until they were complete. The album received critical acclaim upon its release.

Personal life

Andy is a

Rastafarian 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 ...

. Some of his lyrics have been criticized for being

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...

. Andy confirmed that

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name ''Trojan'' comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck ...

only agreed to release his album ''On Tour'' after removing a track containing the lyrics "The Father never make Adam and Steve, he make

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

Discography

Albums

* ''

Skylarking ''Skylarking'' is the ninth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 27 October 1986 on Virgin Records. Produced by American musician Todd Rundgren, it is a loose concept album about a nonspecific cycle, such as a day, a year, th ...

'' (1972) Studio One * ''You Are My Angel'' (1973) Trojan * ''Earth Must Be Hell'' (1974) Atra (with

Winston Jarrett Winston Jarrett (born 14 September 1940)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 423 is a Jamaican reggae singer who was part of Alton Ellis's group The Flames in the 1960s before recording with The Righteous Flam ...

) aka ''The Kingston Rock'' * ''Earth Must Be Hell – Dub'' (1974) Atra (with Winston Jarrett) * ''In the Light'' (1977) Hungry Town * ''In the Light Dub'' (1977) Hungry Town * ''Pure Ranking'' (1978)

Clocktower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

* ''Bim Sherman Meets Horace Andy and U Black Inna Rub a Dub Style'' (1980) Yard International (with

Bim Sherman , children = Chantelle Vincent, Rasiah Vincent Jarret Lloyd Vincent (12 February 1950 – 17 November 2000), better known by one of his stage aliases Bim Sherman (others include Jarrett Tomlinson, Jarrett Vincent, Lloyd Vincent, J. L. ...

and

U Black U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

) * ''Natty Dread a Weh She Want'' (1980) New Star * ''Unity Showcase'' (1981) Pre (with

Errol Scorcher Errol Scorcher (born Errol Archer, 1956 – 19 January 2012Errol S ...

) * ''Dance Hall Style'' (1982)

Wackies Wackies is an American independent record label specialized in reggae and dub music. Lloyd Barnes founded the label in 1976, and it is possibly the longest-running American recording studio for reggae. History Wackie's is run by Lloyd "Bullw ...

aka ''Exclusively'' (1982) Solid Groove * ''Showcase'' (1984) Vista Sounds * ''Confusion'' (1984) Music Hawk * ''Sings For You and I'' (1985) Striker Lee * ''Clash of the Andy's'' (1985) Thunderbolt (with

Patrick Andy Patrick Andy (born c. 1960, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) "Andy, Patrick", in ''Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.13 is a reggae singer, whose ...

) * ''Elementary'' (1985) Rough Trade – Horace Andy & Rhythm Queen * ''Reggae Superstars Meet'' (1986) Striker Lee (with

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 ...

) * ''From One Extreme to Another'' (1986) Beta (with John Holt) * ''Haul & Jack Up'' (1987) Live & Love * ''Fresh'' (1988) Island in the Sun * ''Shame and Scandal'' (1988) * ''Everyday People'' (1988) Wackies * ''Rude Boy'' (1993) Shanachie * ''

Jah Shaka Jah Shaka, also known as the Zulu Warrior is a Jamaican reggae/dub sound system operator who has been operating a South East London-based, roots reggae Jamaican sound system since the early 1970s. His name is an amalgamation of the Rastafarian t ...

Meets Horace Andy'' (1994) Jah Shaka Music * ''Dub Salute 1 Featuring Horace Andy'' (1994) Jah Shaka Music * ''Seek and You Will Find'' (1995) Blackamix International * ''Seek and You Will Find – The Dub Pieces'' (1995) Blackamix International * ''Life Is for Living'' (1995) Ariwa * ''Roots and Branches'' (1997) Ariwa * ''See and Blind'' (1998) Heartbeat * ''Living in the Flood'' (1999) Melankolic * ''Mek It Bun'' (2002) Wrasse * ''From the Roots: Horace Andy Meets Mad Professor''

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 ...

* ''This World'' (2005) Attack * ''Livin' It Up'' (2007) Medium (with

Sly & Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separ ...

) * ''On Tour'' (2008)

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

* ''Two Phazed People'' (2009) dontTouch (with

Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...

) * '' Serious Times'' (2010) * ''Broken Beats'' (2013), Echo Beach * ''Live It Up'' (2019), Pioneer International * ''Midnight Rocker'' (2022), On-U Sound

Contributing artist

* ''

The Rough Guide to Dub ''The Rough Guide to Dub'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 2005. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release covers the roots of dub music, focusing on the period 1973-1980. Curation was performed ...

'' (2005)

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...

References

External links

Searchable discography at Roots Archives

Interview with Horace Andy (2014)
on ''Reggae.Today'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Andy, Horace Jamaican reggae musicians 1951 births Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Converts to the Rastafari movement Performers of Rastafarian music Jamaican Rastafarians Tenors Wrasse Records artists Trojan Records artists Trip hop musicians