Neville Beckford (1952 – 21 February 2011), better known as Jah Woosh, was a

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, primarily known for his work in the 1970s.

Biography

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 ...

, Beckford served an apprenticeship as a mechanic before forming a duo with Reggae George, Neville & George, and auditioning for Jamaica's top producers.Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, Unsuccessful as a duo, they both went on to solo careers. Beckford became the resident deejay on Prince Lloyd's sound system, and was noticed by producer George Bell, who took him into the studio to record "

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...

", now under the pseudonym Jah Woosh. Although the single was not a hit, it prompted

Rupie Edwards Rupert Lloyd Edwards (born 4 July 1945) is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer. Biography Rupie Edwards was born in Goshen, in Saint Ann Parish.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 103–105 The fam ...

to produce the debut album, ''Jah Woosh'', released in 1974 on the

United 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 ...

Cactus label. ''Chalice Blaze'' and ''Psalms of Wisdom'' followed in 1976, these three albums establishing a reputation in the UK.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, A string of albums and singles followed through the 1970s and early 1980s. Woosh also contributed to

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 technique ...

Singers & Players Singers & Players were a reggae collective made up of vocalists and musicians associated with Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound Records. They recorded five albums between 1981 and 1988. Including artists such as Bim Sherman, Prince Far I and Mikey Dr ...

collective, appearing on albums by Creation Rebel,

Prince Far I Prince Far I (23 March 1945 – 15 September 1983) was a Jamaican reggae deejay and producer, and a Rastafarian. He was known for his gruff voice and critical assessment of the Jamaican government. His track "Heavy Manners" used lyrics about ...

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

Style Scott Lincoln Valentine Scott (29 April 1956 – 9 October 2014), better known as Style Scott, was a Jamaican reggae drummer, famous for playing in the Roots Radics and, later, with Dub Syndicate. He also recorded and performed with Prince Far I, Bunn ...

's Dub Syndicate. Beckford also worked as a producer, self-producing much of his work from 1976 onwards, and producing other artists such as

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tri ...

, Larry Marshall, and his old friend Reggae George. He set up the "Original Music" record label, through which he has reissued some of his 1970s material."Jah Woosh"
Heartical.net He died on 21 February 2011, aged 58.Taylor, Angus (2011)
Remembering Jah Woosh
, unitedreggae.com. 26 February 2011, retrieved 26 February 2011

Albums

*''Jah Woosh'' (1974) Cactus *''Psalms of Wisdom'' (1976) Ja-Man/Black Wax *''Chalice Blaze'' (1976) Midnite/Student *''Dreadlocks Affair'' (1976)

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

*''Loaded with TNT'' (1976) Trenchtown *''Jah Jah Dey Dey'' (1976) Cactus *''Lick Him With The Dustbin'' (1977) K&B *''Gathering Israel'' (1978) Dread & Dread *''Religious Dread'' (1978) Trojan *''Spiderlemon'' (1978) JP Records *''Gun Fight At OK Karrol'' (1978) Pioneer International *''Ital Movement'' (197?) Abraham *''Marijuana World Tour'' (1979) Creation Rebel *''Rebellion'' (1981) Form (with Sis Bee) *''Rastaman'' (1981) German LP *''Sing And Chant Jah Woosh'' (1982) September *''Some Sign'' (1985) Sky Juice *'' Jah bless the children'' (1986) produced by Neville Beckford aka Jah Woosh on Sky Juice *''Fire In a Blackamix'' (1993) Blackamix (with

Mixman Mixman Technologies, Inc. is an American interactive music company that develops computer software that allows for the creation and manipulation of music files. Founded by Josh Gabriel and Eric Almgren, Mixman launched in April 1994 and is headqu ...

)

Compilations

*''We Chat You Rock'' (1987) Trojan (with

I-Roy Roy Samuel Reid (28 June 1942 – 27 November 1999), better known as I-Roy, was a Jamaican deejay who had a very prolific career during the 1970s. Biography Born in 1944 in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica, Reid graduated from Dinthill Technical C ...

) *''The Best of Jah Woosh'' (1993) Rhino *''Dub Plate Special'' (1993) Original Music *''Jah Woosh Meets Jah Stitch at Leggo Sounds'' (1995) Leggo (with

Jah Stitch Jah Stitch (born Melbourne James, 27 July 1949 – 28 April 2019) was a reggae deejay best known for his recordings in the 1970s. Biography After an introduction to music singing in a yard with the likes of The Wailers, The Heptones, Roy Shir ...

) *''DJ Legend'' Original Music *''Collection'' (2001) Original Music

References

External links

Jah Woosh at discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woosh, Jah 1952 births 2011 deaths Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica