Cecil Wellington (1957–1996), better known as Nicodemus, 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 ...

who released a string of albums in the 1980s and 1990s. Nicodemus was a pioneer of dancehall music and is credited with positively influencing many aspiring DJs. He is truly a dancehall legend. Partnering with the iconic Super Cat since the late-1970s, the dynamic duo (Nicodemus & Super Cat) released a string of local and commercially successful reggae hits. Hit songs that spring to mind are "Cabin Stabbin'" and "My Prerogative. " Nicodemus died on August 26, 1996 of complications with diabetes.

Biography

Born in Jamaica in 1957, he began his career in 1976 as a deejay with the Socialist Roots sound system.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 219-220Campbell, Howard (2012)
Nicodemus, the deejay's deejay
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 26 October 2012, retrieved 27 October 2012 He moved to

Prince 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 sound system in 1978 and towards the end of the decade also made his first studio recordings. His style was compared to

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 ...

and

Prince Jazzbo Linval Roy Carter (3 September 1951 – 11 September 2013), better known as Prince Jazzbo, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay and producer. Career Born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, and raised in Kingston, Linval Roy Carter (who wou ...

.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''the Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 209Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 269 He had a big hit with "Boneman Connection" in 1981, and remained popular throughout the first half of the 1980s, becoming regarded as a dancehall veteran.Kenner, Rob (2003) "Boomshots: Reggae Riddims & Reality", ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'', December 2003 His influence was clear on younger deejays such as John Taylor, aka Nicodemus Junior, who later had greater success after changing his stage name to

Chaka Demus John Taylor (born 16 April 1963), better known as Chaka Demus, is a Jamaican reggae musician and deejay, best known as part of the duo Chaka Demus & Pliers. Biography Early years Born in West Kingston, Taylor was a regular attendee at Kings ...

. After a lean period between the mid 1980s and the early 1990s, when his releases were less frequent, he re-emerged in 1994 with the album ''The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Crazy'', which was followed by ''Dancehall Giant'' in 1995, for which he embarked on a 7 week tour of the western United States alongside artists from the San Francisco based Positive Sound Massive label (including Major Terror, Grandson Demus, and Stand Out Selector), and backed by the Chico CA based dancehall outfit Cornerstone Featuring Levi Jr. In 1996, he died from complications related to

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 ...

, aged 39, with a posthumous album, ''Dancehall Greats'', issued two years later.

Album Discography

*''Gunman Connection'' (1982), Cha Cha *''Dancehall Style'' (1982), Black Joy *''She Love It in the Morning'' (1982), Channel One *''DJ Clash'' (1983),

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English Fo ...

/Volcano - Nicodemus and

Ranking Toyan Toyan aka Ranking Toyan (born Byron Letts, died 1991) was a Jamaican reggae deejay active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings. Biography Toyan began his career in 1974, deejaying on Kingston's sound systems, suc ...

*''A Nice Up the Dance'' (1983), Clappers *''The Very Best Of Nicodemus'' (1983), Serious Gold *''Nuff Respect'' (1986), Skengdon *''Mr. Fabulous'' (1986), Music Master *''Cabbin Stabbin'' (1990) - with Necka Demus*, Junior Demus and Super Cat *''Old Veteran'' (1992), VP *''The Good, the Bad, The Ugly, and the Crazy'' (1994) - with

Super Cat William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall mo ...

, Junior Cat, and Junior Demus *''Dancehall Giant'' (1995) *''Dancehall Greats'' (1998) *''Nicodemus and Dean Fraser'' (2003), Cactus *''Fatha Demus'' (2004), Massive B *''D.J. Clash (3 The Hard Way)'' (2007), Greensleeves - with

Billy Boyo Billy Boyo (born Billy Theophilus Rowe, 21 September 1969 – 29 October 2000) was a Jamaican reggae artist born in Kingston, Jamaica, who was arguably the most prolific of the early-1980s child DJs. He is most well known for his songs "One Sp ...

and Little Harry *''Serious Nicodemus volume 1'' (2007), Sound System *''Serious Nicodemus volume 2'' (2007), Sound System

References

External links

Nicodemus
at Roots Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicodemus 1957 births 1996 deaths Jamaican reggae musicians Deaths from diabetes