Toyan aka Ranking Toyan (born Byron Letts, died 1991) 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 ...

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 as ''Socialist Roots'' and ''Romantic HiFi''.Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, He recorded his debut single, "Disco Pants" in the late 1970s for producer Don Mais. He went on to work extensively with

Joseph Hoo Kim Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim (10 December 1942 – 20 September 2018) was a Jamaican reggae record producer best known for his productions in the 1970s at his Channel One Studios. Career Born to parents of Chinese heritage, Joseph Hoo Kim grew up in ...

and

Jah Thomas Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas (b. 1955, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own ''Midnight Rock'' and ''Nura'' labels. Biography Named Nkrumah after Ghanaian nationali ...

, resulting in a string of hits including "Girls Nowadays", "Kill No Man", "John Tom", and "Talk of the Town", as well as combination hits with

The Mighty Diamonds The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, '' Right Time'', produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 197 ...

("Pretty Woman"), Badoo ("Rocking the 5000"), and

Freddie McGregor Freddie McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old. Biography In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to form The C ...

("Roots Man Skanking"). In 1981 he joined

Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1960 in Kingston, Jamaica – 13 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...

' Volcano Sound system, and toured

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. With Lawes, he recorded the album ''How the West Was Won'', which is regarded as his best work, and went on to produce his own work and that of others such as

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 Anthony Johnson. He toured the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

with the Jah Prophecy band and performed in Jamaica alongside

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...

. He was murdered in Jamaica in 1991.

Albums

*''How The West Was Won'' (1981)

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 ...

*''Toyan'' (1982) J&L *''Superstar Yellowman Has Arrived With Toyan'' (1982)

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 ...

(with

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 ...

) *''DJ Clash'' (1982) Volcano/Greensleeves (with Nicodemus) *''Spar With Me'' (1982) Jah Guidance *''Ghetto Man Skank'' (1983) Silver Camel *''DJ Daddy'' (1983) Upfront *''Nice Time'' (1983) Jam Rock/Pre (with

Triston Palma Triston Palma aka Triston or Tristan Palmer (born 1962, Waltham Park, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer/deejay. He has been active since the mid-1970s. Biography Palma was born in 1962 and grew up in the Waltham Park area of Kingston, and ...

) *''Every Posse Want Me'' (1983) Live & Learn *''Murder'' (1983) Vista Sounds (with Tipper Lee & Johnny Slaughter) *''Hot Bubble Gum'' (1984) Power House *''Early Days'' Roots Tradition

References

External links

Toyan at Roots ArchivesToyan at Reggaepedia
{{Authority control 1991 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians Year of birth missing Greensleeves Records artists