Beris Simpson, better known as Prince Hammer, is 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 ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Biography

Simpson was born at the Jubilee Hospital in Kingston and grew up in a Christian family in Kingston.Peter I (2005)
Prince Hammer: Life's Trials & Tribulations
(interview), reggae-vibes.com, retrieved 29 September 2012 After deejaying on the Vee-Jay sound system in the early 1970s, Simpson initially recorded under his own name (as 'Berris Simpson') in the mid-1970s with producer

Glen Brown Glenmore Lloyd Brown (1943 or 1944Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)Tough Times for Glen Brown", ''Jamaica Observer'', 15 July 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2014Larkin, Colin, ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', 1998, Virgin Books, . – 4 O ...

for whom he recorded "Whole Lot of Sugar" and "Tel Aviv Rock", before adopting the 'Prince Hammer' name when he began producing his own recordings on labels that he owned such as Gold Cup and Belva, sold through his own record shop on Orange Street.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 229Greene, Jo-Ann
''Rastafari Bible'' Review
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, retrieved 29 September 2012 He released several singles in the late 1970s for a variety of producers.Foster, Chuck (1999) ''Roots Rock Reggae'', Billboard Books, , p. 301 He made a cameo appearance in the film '' Rockers'', and found a wider audience via his Blacka Morwell-produced 1978 album ''Bible'', released on

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 (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

' Front Line label. This was followed by the album ''Roots and Roots'', released on

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 techniques ...

's Hitrun label in 1979. Hammer toured the UK with

Bim Sherman , children = Chantelle Vincent, Rasiah Vincent Jarret Lloyd Vincent (12 February 1950 – 17 November 2000), better known by one of his stage aliases Bim Sherman (others include Jarrett Tomlinson, Jarrett Vincent, Lloyd Vincent, J. L. ...

and

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 ...

in 1979 and later with punk rock bands such as

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 w ...

and

The Slits The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...

.Street Howe, Zoe (2009) ''Typical Girls? The Story of the Slits'', Omnibus Press, Ensminger, David A. (2011) ''Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation'', University Press/Mississippi, , p. 259 A second album for Hit Run, ''Dancehall Style'', was released in 1981, and they worked again on his 1985 album ''Vengeance''. He appeared on the track "The Heat" on

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 ...

's 1983 album ''

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 ...

'', he features on their live album with

entitled ''

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 duri ...

'' which was recorded in 1982, and he provides vocals on "Libera Me" on their 1987 album '' Seven''. He also worked with

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 ...

on the ''Respect I Man'' album (1989). Hammer also worked as a producer, and produced Rod Taylor's ''If Jah Should Come Now'' album.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 186-7 Other artists that he produced included Echo Minott, Jennifer Lara,

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, such ...

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

, and George Nooks, and several of his productions were compiled on the ''Africa Iron Gate Showcase'' album, released on his own Berris label in 1982.

Discography

Albums

*''Bible'' (1978), Front Line *''Roots Me Roots'' (1979), Hitrun/Miss Pat Walker *''Roots Me Roots'' (1980), Little Luke *''World War Dub Part 1'' (1980), Baby Mother/Hitrun *''Dancehall Style'' (1981), Hitrun *''World War Dub Part 2'' (1981), Baby Mother *''Vengeance'' (1985), Melinda *''Respect I Man'' (1989), Tamoki Wambesi *''Back For More'' (2005), KSJ Productions ;Compilations: *''Rastafari Bible 1976-1982'' (2000), Patate

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammer, Prince Jamaican reggae musicians Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Year of birth missing (living people) Suns of Arqa members