Jimmy London (born Trevor Shaw, 30 November 1949 in

Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica Saint Catherine (capital Spanish Town) is a parish in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parishes because of its many resources. It includes the ...

) is a Jamaican

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 ...

singer who first recorded in the late 1960s, and achieved chart success both in Jamaica and the United Kingdom in the early and mid-1970s.Katz, David (2000) ''People Funny Boy - The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry'', Payback Press,

Biography

The Inspirations

London was a member of vocal duo The Inspirations, along with Ransford White (later known as Billy Dyce). White's brother Doraney was a member of

The Techniques The Techniques were a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group mainly active in the 1960s. History The group was formed by Winston Riley in 1962 while still at school, with the initial line-up also featuring Slim Smith, Franklyn White, and Frederick Wa ...

, and the duo hung out at the Techniques rehearsal premises on King Street, becoming friendly with Roy Shirley, who helped them to get started in the music business. They recorded their debut single "I Need Money" for producer Sir JJ at Linden Pottinger's studio, but when it failed to make much impact, they moved on to work with

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

, recording "Tighten Up" (twice, it was originally recorded at WIRL, but re-voiced at Studio One). They released a further song for Perry, "You Know What I Mean", but dissatisfied with the attention they received from Perry, moved on to

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and ...

. With Gibbs, they recorded tracks such as "Take Back Your Duck", "La La", and "The Train is Coming".

Solo

He was also a member of The Untouchables, and Rocking Horse (along with Keith Poppin).Foster, Chuck (1999) ''Roots Rock Reggae: an Oral History of Reggae Music from Ska to Dancehall'', Billboard Books, , p. 259. His biggest successes, however, would come in the early 1970s, when he teamed up with the Impact All Stars at the recently built Randy's studio to record tracks such as a cover of

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

's " Till I Kissed You", Simon & Garfunkel's " Bridge Over Troubled Waters", and "A Little Love". The latter two tracks were big hits in Jamaica and the UK (London was the first artist to record at the studio).''Reggae Vibes'' news
January 2004. Both of these appeared on London's debut album, ''Bridge Over Troubled Waters'' in 1972. Further hits followed with the likes of "

Rock and Roll Lullaby "Rock and Roll Lullaby" is a 1972 hit single performed by B. J. Thomas. It was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Song lyrics The song is sung in a first-person narrative of an adolescent or adult raised by a single teenage mother during ...

", "No Letter Today", "Together", "Jim Say Hello", and "Don't Keep The Kids". In 1975, London toured the UK supporting

George McCrae George Warren McCrae Jr. (born October 19, 1944) is an American soul and disco singer who is most famous for his 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby". Biography and career McCrae was the second of nine children, born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He form ...

, receiving excellent reviews for his appearance at London's

Lyceum Ballroom The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arnol ...

, with further singles being released in the following years, including the hits "Having a Party" and "In My Heart", which charted on the UK reggae chart in 1978, with further albums released in the late 1970s and one in 1980. London continued to record through the 1980s and 1990s, including tracks for Phillip Fraser's ''Razor Sounds'' label, and continued to perform well into the 2000s.Walters, Basil (2002),
Phillip Fraser's 'razor sound' getting sharper
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 19 April 2002.Cooke, Mel (2004)
"Vintage Showcase Builds to Unsatisfactory End
, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 4 October 2004.Stellar line-up for Vintage Showcase at Mas Camp
, ''Jamaica Observer'', 1 October 2004. His debut album, ''Bridge Over Troubled Waters'' was reissued in 2004 with bonus tracks as ''A Little Love'', the track "A Little Love" also being chosen to promote London as part of

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Ken Livingstone’s "Totally London" campaign.Ad of the week: Tube resurfaces after decade underground
, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 28 July 2003.

Albums

*''Bridge Over Troubled Waters'' (1972),

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 ...

*''Jimmy in London'' (1976), Jama *''Welcome to mMy World'' (1978),

Burning Sounds Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combustion ...

*''Children Crying in the Ghetto'' (1979), Rootsman/(1980) GC *''It Ain't Easy Living in the Ghetto'' (1980),

*''Together With Jimmy London'' (1989), Blue Mountain *''Hold On'' (1996), Lagoon (compilation) *''The Jimmy London Collection – 18 Magnificent Hits'', Beta (compilation) *''A Little Love'' (2004),

Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...

(expanded edition of ''Bridge Over Troubled Waters'')

References

External links

Jimmy London at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:London, Jimmy 1949 births People from Saint Catherine Parish Jamaican reggae musicians Living people Trojan Records artists 20th-century Jamaican male singers