Ijahman Levi on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Ijahman Levi (born Trevor Sutherland: 21 June 1946 in Christiana,
Artist Biography by Craig Harris
, ''
Ijahman Levi: I & Jah
/ref> In 1966 and 1969 he released two singles under the name of The Youth. The first one was in 1966 for
Ijahman Levi (born Trevor Sutherland: 21 June 1946 in Christiana, Manchester, Jamaica
The Parish of Manchester is a parish located in west-central Jamaica, in the county of Middlesex. Its capital, Mandeville, is a major business centre. Its St. Paul of the Cross Pro-Cathedral is the episcopal see of the Latin Catholic Dioces ...
) 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 ...
musician. In his early years, Levi was tutored by musician and vocal teacher, Joe Higgs
Joseph Benjamin Higgs (3 June 1940 – 18 December 1999) was a reggae musician from Jamaica. In the late 1950s and 1960s he was part of the duo Higgs and Wilson together with Roy Wilson. He was a popular artist in Jamaica for four decades and is ...
.Harris, CraigArtist Biography by Craig Harris
, ''
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
'', Retrieved 28 July 2014 His first album, ''Haile I Hymn'', was released on Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
in 1978. He became Ijahman Levi after a religious conversion 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 ...
when he was in prison between 1972 and 1974. It and his following records preach Rastafari movement as well as Twelve Tribes of Israel
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 ...
doctrine
Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
.
Biography
Levi moved with his parents to theUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in 1963./ref> In 1966 and 1969 he released two singles under the name of The Youth. The first one was in 1966 for
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. ...
56121 "As Long As There is Love" c/w "Your One and Only Man", both covers of Jimmy Ruffin
Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...
and Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
songs. Ijahman has mentioned he is a great Otis Redding fan. They were cut in a typical mod R&B soul style. His second single was for Deram 226, released 17 January 1969, and featured "Meadow of My Love" c/w "Love Me or Leave Me". The B-side was self-written, being credited to 'Sutherland'. In 1985 Levi released "I Do", a duet he recorded with his second wife, Madge. The song performed well on the British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
reggae charts, reaching top position. Ijahman’s most famous composition is "Jah Heavy Load" recorded and released in 1976.
Discography
* 1978 - ''Haile I Hymn (Chapter 1)'' * 1978 - ''Haile I Hymn (Chapter 2)'' * 1979 - ''Are we a Warrior'' * 1982 - ''Tell it to the Children'' * 1984 - ''Lilly of my Valley'' * 1985 - ''Africa'' * 1986 - ''I Do (Ijahman and Madge)'' * 1987 - ''Forward Rastaman'' * 1987 - ''Culture Country'' * 1988 - ''Ijahman and Friends'' * 1988 - ''Over Europe Live'' * 1989 - ''Inside Out'' * 1991 - ''On Track'' * 1991 - ''Love Smiles'' * 1992 - ''Kingfari'' * 1993 - ''Entitlement'' * 1993 - ''Gemini Man'' * 1994 - ''Two Double Six'' * 1994 - ''Black Royalties'' * 1995 - ''Home Free by Madge'' * 1995 - ''Live in Paris 1994'' * 1995 - ''Ijahman Sings Bob Marley'' * 1996 - ''Ijahman & Bob Marley in Dub'' * 1997 - ''Live at Reggae on the River'' * 1997 - ''Beauty and the Lion'' * 1997 - ''Lion Dub Beauty'' * 1998 - ''Crocodile Man'' * 1998 - ''Monkey Man'' * 2000 - ''Arkart'' * 2001 - ''The Roots of Love'' * 2006 - ''Versatile Life''References