Prince Far I (23 March 1945 – 15 September 1983) was 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 ...

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 producer, and a

Rastafarian 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 ...

. He was known for his gruff voice and critical assessment of the Jamaican government. His track "Heavy Manners" used lyrics about government measures initiated at the time against violent crime.

Biography

He was born Michael James Williams in

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label=Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. Th ...

, Jamaica. Williams' first job in the music industry was as a

on the Sir Mike the Musical Dragon sound system, also working as a security guard at

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 a ...

' studio, and later as a bouncer at Studio One, but after recording "The Great Booga Wooga" for

Bunny Lee Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...

in 1969 (under the name King Cry Cry, a reference to his habit of breaking into tears when angered),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: ''Reggae: The Rough Guide'', 1997, Rough Guides, Thompson, Dave: ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', 2002, Backbeat Books, he got the chance in 1970 to record for

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 ...

when

King Stitt Winston Sparkes (17 September 1940 – 31 January 2012), better known as King Stitt, was a Jamaican pioneer DJ. Biography He earned the nickname as a boy because of his stuttering and decided to use it as his stage name. Stitt began deejaying ...

failed to turn up for a session.Larkin, Colin: ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', 1998, Virgin Books, Dodd was sufficiently impressed to release the resulting recordings, Williams now using the name Prince Far I at the suggestion of another producer he had worked with,

Enos McLeod Enos McLeod (born 1946) is a Jamaican reggae singer and music producer whose career dates to the mid-1960s. Biography McLeod was born in 1946 in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, and before his career in music he trained as a cabinet-maker and a ...

). With a unique deep bass voice and talking over style, preferring to describe himself as a "chanter" rather than a "toaster", he became a popular reggae musician, styling himself "The Voice of Thunder". His first album, '' Psalms For I'', featuring the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

and various psalms, was dedicated to the

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

who could not read the Bible for themselves. He then worked with

on the second album, ''Under Heavy Manners'', before being signed by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

for their ''Frontline'' label. Twelve albums followed between 1978 and 1981, including the highly regarded ''Cry Tuff Dub Encounter'' series of dub albums, produced by Williams and released on his Cry Tuff label, and featuring the

Roots Radics The Roots Radics Band was formed in 1978 by bass player Errol "Flabba" Holt, guitarist Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont and drummer Lincoln "Style" Scott. They were joined by many musicians, including guitarist Noel "Sowell" Bailey, Dwight Pinkney ...

under the pseudonym The Arabs. Spending an increasing amount of time in England, he also collaborated with UK

On-U Sound Records On-U Sound Records is an English record label known for releasing its own unique flavour of dub music since the 1980s. The label was founded by Adrian Sherwood in 1979/1980 and is home to acts such as Tackhead, Dub Syndicate, African Head Char ...

including providing vocals in the reggae collective

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 ...

and may be considered a mentor figure 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 ...

. His final live performance took place on 7 December 1982 at

Band on the Wall Band on the Wall is a live music venue in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, England. History Early history The building dates back to around 1862 when a local brewery, the McKenna Brothers, built it as the flagship pub of their operation. I ...

, Manchester, where he performed with

Suns of Arqa Suns of Arqa are a world music collective founded in 1979 by Michael Wadada. Since the group's formation, over 200 people from around the world have played and recorded with them, and in many cases these were like-minded musicians Wadada met ...

This performance is captured on his album ''

Musical Revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own durin ...

''. In 1983, he provided vocals on

's second LP

Wadada Magic ''Wadada Magic'' is the second studio album by the band Suns of Arqa, recorded and released in 1983 by Antler Records. The album was produced by Suns of Arqa founder Michael Wadada. The spine of the LP reads "Suns of Arqa Vol III Wadada Magic ...

, and many of these vocals have been reused by the band repeatedly on a variety of tracks and remixes, ranging from their first album in 1980 to (so far) 2006. He is credited for vocals on the sleeve of each of the releases in question. Later that year he recorded the album '' Umkhonto We Sizwe'' with producer

Roy Cousins Roy Anthony Cousins (born 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer, producer, and record label owner, known for being lead singer and co creator of The Royals, his productions of artists such as Charlie Chaplin, Prince Far I, Sci ...

in Kingston. Before the album was finished he was shot at his home 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 ...

, during a robbery, allegedly relating to a dispute over money, and died later in hospital. Adrian Sherwood, deeply upset by the murder of his friend, took a production hiatus from his beloved reggae genre and in 1983 recorded with his group Circut and

Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk roc ...

, "Dead Come Alive". Prince Far I is also referred to by

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

in their single "

Clash City Rockers "Clash City Rockers" is a song by English rock band the Clash. It was first released in February 1978 as a single with the B-side " Jail Guitar Doors", the latter a re-worked version of a song from Joe Strummer's pub rock days. "Clash City Rocke ...

" and also by

The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the ...

in the song "Sept. 15th 1983", a reference to the date of his death.

Discography

Albums

*'' Psalms For I'' (Carib Gems, 1975) *'' Under Heavy Manners'' (

, 1976) *'' Message from the King'' (Virgin

Front Line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

1978) *'' Long Life'' (Virgin Front Line, 1978) *'' Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter 1'' (Cry Tuff/Hit Run, 1978) *''

Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Part 2 ''Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Part 2'' is a 1979 reggae album by Prince Far I. It was recorded at Harry J's studio in Kingston, Jamaica and mixed by King Jammy, Prince Jammy. The album was reissued on compact disc in expanded form as ''Dubwise'', with ...

'' (Cry Tuff/Virgin Front Line, 1979) *'' Free From Sin'' (

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 1890 ...

, 1979) *'' Dub To Africa'' (Price Far I, 1979) *''

Jamaican Heroes ''Jamaican Heroes'' is a 1980 reggae album by Prince Far I. The musicians included Roots Radics and The Flying Lizards. The album was mixed by Anthony "Crucial Bunny" Graham at Studio One, Jamaica. The cover was designed by Jill Mumfield. Princ ...

'' (Trojan 1980) *'' Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter 3'' (Cry Tuff/Daddy Kool, 1980) *'' Showcase in a Suitcase'' (Pre, 1980) *''

Livity ''Livity'' is a 1981 reggae album by Prince Far I. Livity is a word used by Rastafarians to refer to the energy or life-force that flows through all living things. The album is generally considered one of Prince Far I's weaker albums.Greene, Jo-A ...

'' (Pre, 1981) *''

Voice of Thunder ''Voice of Thunder'' is a reggae album by Prince Far I, released by Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sa ...

'' (Trojan 1981) *''Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter 4'' (Cry Tuff/Trojan 1981) *'' Musical History'' (Trojan 1983) *''

'' / ''

Live with Prince Far I'' (1983) *'' Umkhonto We Sizwe'' (Kingdom/Tamoki Wambesi 1984) *'' Health and Strength'' (

Pressure Sounds Pressure Sounds is a British DIY record label, specializing in releasing reggae music. Run by Pete Holdsworth, it is one of the most enduring reggae labels in the UK, specializing in reissuing obsolete tunes. It was originally a subsidiary o ...

, 1998)

Compilation albums

*''Black Man Land'' (1990) *''Dubwise'' (1991) *''Cry Freedom Dub'' (1994) *''In the House of Vocal & Dub with King Tubby'' (1995) *''DJ Originators Head To Head Volume Two Prince Far I & Trinity'' (1996) *''Megabit 25, 1922-Dub'' (1998) *''Ten Commandments'' (1999) *''The Golden Years 1977–1983'' (1999) *''Heavy Manners: Anthology 1977–83'' (Trojan 2003) *''Silver & Gold 1973-1975'' ( Blood and Fire, 2005)

References

External links

Tribute site to Prince Far I
at On-U Sound site
Discography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince Far I Jamaican reggae musicians 1945 births 1983 deaths People from Spanish Town Jamaican Rastafarians People murdered in Jamaica Jamaican murder victims Trojan Records artists Deaths by firearm in Jamaica Suns of Arqa members