Archie Patrick Himons, also known as Little Archie and latterly Aashid Himons, (September 22, 1942 – March 19, 2011) was an American singer and musician born in West Virginia. He was "a musical innovator that fused traditional country blues with reggae and world music during the late 1970s" and is best known for his "blu-reggae" band Afrikan Dreamland.

Biography

Himons was born in rural West Virginia and learned to play the piano by the age of three and the drums by the time he was five years old. At the age of ten, he made his debut performing on national television on NBC's ''The Today Show''.Daryl Sanders, "Remembering Aashid Himons, 1942-2011, the man who brought reggae to Music City - The Lion Sleeps Tonight", ''Nashville Scene'', March 24, 2011.
/ref> He began his music career as pianist and soul singer signed to Dial Records by Buddy Killen in 1966. He had two popular soul singles "All I Have To Do", and "You Can't Tie Me Down". In the 1970s he converted 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 ...

. He moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, in 1979, where he finished recording ''Jah Messenger'', the first album of the Afrikan Dreamland group that he fronted. He died at the age of 68 in Nashville on March 19, 2011, at

Vanderbilt University Medical Center The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a medical provider with multiple hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as clinics and facilities throughout Middle Tennessee. VUMC is an independent non-profit organization, but maintains acad ...

of complications from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and

vascular disease Vascular disease is a class of diseases of the blood vessels – the arteries and veins of the circulatory system of the body. Vascular disease is a subgroup of cardiovascular disease. Disorders in this vast network of blood vessels can cause a ra ...

References

External links

Official Aashid Himons website.

* ttp://www.allmusic.com/artist/aashid-himons-mn0001207856 Rev. Keith A. Gordon, "Aashid Himons", AllMusic.com. 1942 births 2011 deaths American soul singers {{US-singer-stub