Johnny Osbourne (born Errol Osbourne, 1948) is one of the most popular 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 ...

and

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

singers of all time, who rose to success in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. His album '' Truths and Rights'' was a

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 ...

success, and featured "Jah Promise" and the album's title track, "Truths and Rights". He also enjoyed big hits with covers of U.S. soul tunes such as "Ready Or Not" and

Earth, Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million ...

's "Reasons". In addition, he has had many songs with the phrase 'Rub A Dub' in the title, the most acclaimed of these is to the "Rub A Dub Session". Osbourne is also the most in-demand vocalist for dubplates due to the amount of dancehall classics he has had. This has resulted in the nickname Dancehall Godfather. He is probably best known for his mid-1980s dancehall reggae hits "Buddy Bye" (based on

King Jammy Lloyd James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub ma ...

's Sleng Teng

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

), "Ice Cream Love" and "Water Pumping".

Career

Johnny Osbourne attended the Alpha Boys School, an orphanage in Kingston, Jamaica that also was home to

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

, founding members of

the Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many othe ...

Leroy Smart Leroy Smart (born 1952), is a reggae singer-songwriter and record producer from Kingston, Jamaica. Biography Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned at the age of two. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home and educated at Alpha Boys Scho ...

and

Leroy Wallace Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace (born 22 August 1950) is a Jamaican drummer who worked for several years at Studio One, and has worked with numerous reggae artists including The Gladiators, Inner Circle,Hebdige, Dick (1987) ''Cut 'n' Mix: Culture, ...

as well as jazz men

Dizzy Reece Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece (born 5 January 1931) is a Jamaican-born hard bop jazz trumpeter. Reece is among a group of jazz musicians born in Jamaica which includes Bertie King, Joe Harriott, Roland Alphonso, Wilton Gaynair, Sonny Bradshaw, ...

and

Joe Harriott Joseph Arthurlin Harriott (15 July 1928 – 2 January 1973) was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone. Initially a bebopper, he became a pioneer of free-form jazz. Born in Kingston, Harriott ...

. During 1967, Osbourne became lead vocalist of The Wildcats, and recorded for producer

Winston Riley Winston Riley (14 May 1943 – 19 January 2012) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and record producer. The ''Jamaica Gleaner'' notes he was one of the most successful reggae producers.

, although nothing was released. The Wildcats' manager then financed a session at

Coxsone Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent a ...

's Studio One, from which his debut single, "All I Have Is Love", was released. In 1969, he recorded the album, ''Come Back Darling'', again for Riley. On the day that he completed the album, Osbourne

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada, to join his family. After singing with various

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and reggae groups, he became lead vocalist for Ishan People, and recorded two albums with them. The group broke up in 1979, and Osbourne decided to return to Jamaica. Shortly after returning, he recorded "Forgive Them" and "Jealousy, Heartache and Pain" for the Studio One label. Through late 1979 and early 1980, he recorded extensively for Dodd, with these sessions culminating in ''Truths And Rights''. In 1979, he also had a hit for

(then Prince Jammy) with "Folly Ranking", and an album of the same name followed in 1980. The success of these recordings made him one of the most in-demand vocalists on the island, and albums followed including ''Fally Lover'', ''Warrior'', ''Innah Disco Style'' and ''Never Stop Fighting'', between 1980 and 1982. In 1983, he secured hits with "Yo Yo" and "Lend Me A Chopper", and later in the year enjoyed further success with "Water Pumping", an adaptation of Hopeton Lewis' "Take It Easy". The hits continued with "Get Cracking", "Check For You", "Rewind" (1984), "Buddy Bye", "No Sound Like We" and "In The Area" (1985). In the late 1980s he was particularly successful when recording for Bobby Digital, and had hits with "Good Time Rock" (1988) and "Rude Boy Skank" (1988), both of which are included on his 1989 album, ''Rougher Than Them''. Throughout the 1980s he continued to record for Coxsone Dodd, and singles included "Keep That Light", "Unity" and "A We Run Things". In 2012, his track "Mr. Marshall" was sampled in

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...

's single, " Jah No Partial".

References

External links

Exclusive Interview with Johnny Osbourne – Reggae.Today
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osbourne, Johnny 1948 births Living people Jamaican reggae singers Trojan Records artists Greensleeves Records artists

Career

See also

References

External links