Carol Theresa East (born 15 January 1959, Kingston,

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 ...

), known by her

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

of Sister Carol, is a Jamaican-born American

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 ...

recording artist A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

. She has used many other stage names, including Black Cinderella (also the name of her record label) and Mother Culture.

Biography

Originally from the

Denham Town Denham Town is a predominantly residential neighbourhood in western Kingston, Jamaica. It has a reputation as one of Kingston's more violent areas. It was named in memory of Edward Brandis Denham, Governor of Jamaica 1935–1938. Amenities Th ...

district of West Kingston, she was 14 when her family emigrated to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2012)
Black Cinderella
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 17 October 2012.Campbell, Howard (2018)
Sister Carol: Roots Warrior
, ''

'', 28 February 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018 Her father Howard East was a Senior Engineer with

Radio Jamaica Radio Jamaica, also known as RJR 94 FM, and formerly Real Jamaican Radio, is a broadcast company in Jamaica with headquarters in Kingston. History On 9 July 1950, a commercial license to operate as a subsidiary of the British Rediffusion Grou ...

and contributed to recording sessions as Studio One. She became involved in the Jamaican music scene herself. She earned a degree in education from the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

in 1981, the same year she gave birth to her first child. Around that time she met

Brigadier Jerry Robert Russell (born 28 September 1957), better known by the stage name Brigadier Jerry is a Jamaican dancehall reggae deejay known for his "cultural" lyrics. Biography Brigadier Jerry, often nicknamed "Briggy" and "The General", was born in ...

, a Jamaican DJ, who encouraged her to try DJ chatting in Jamaican

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

style, rather than singing. After winning competitions in New York and Jamaica, she toured with

The Meditations The Meditations are a reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974. They have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today. History The Meditations were formed in late 1974, when Danny Clarke le ...

. Her first album, ''Liberation for Africa'', was released in 1983, as a limited edition on the Jamaican ''SG'' label. The 1984 album ''Black Cinderella''Black Cinderella
at the Roots Archives, roots-archives.com; Retrieved 6 June 2017. established her. She formed her own

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

, also called Black Cinderella. ''Jah Disciple'' followed in 1989. East has appeared in the

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film ''Caged Heat'', before ...

movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' Something Wild'' (1986), ''

Married to the Mob ''Married to the Mob'' is a 1988 American crime comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Mercedes Ruehl, and Alec Baldwin. Pfeiffer plays Angela de Marco, a gangster's widow from ...

'' (1988), and ''

Rachel Getting Married ''Rachel Getting Married'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, and Debra Winger. The film premiered at the 65th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 200 ...

'' (2008). Demme featured East's songs in ''

Ricki and the Flash ''Ricki and the Flash'' is a 2015 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Diablo Cody, about a woman who leaves her family to become a rock star and later gets a chance to make amends. The film stars Meryl Str ...

'' (2015).

Personal life

In the 2000s she returned to Jamaica, living in St. Ann. Her daughter Nakeeba Amaniyea is a deejay.

Discography

*''Liberation For Africa'' (1983), Serious Gold *''Black Cinderella'' (1984), Jah Life *''Jah Disciple'' (1989), RAS *''Mother Culture'' (1991),

RAS Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...

*''Call Mi Sister Carol'' (1994),

Heartbeat A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart. Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to: Computing *Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system *Heartbeat, clus ...

*''Lyrically Potent'' (1996), Heartbeat *''Potent Dub'' (1997), Heartbeat *''Isis - The Original Rasta Womb-man'' (1999),

Tuff Gong Tuff Gong is the brand name associated with a number of businesses started by Bob Marley and the Marley family. 'Tuff Gong' comes from Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari movement, Leonard " ...

*''Direct Hit!'' (2001), Catapult *''Empressive'' (2003), M10 *''1Derful Words'' (2006), Black Cinderella *''Togetherness'' (2012) - Sister Carol & Friends *''Live No Evil'' (2014), Black Cinderella

References

External links

*
Sister Carol profile
music.yahoo.com; Retrieved 6 June 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sister Carol 1959 births Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican dancehall musicians Jamaican songwriters 20th-century Jamaican women singers Jamaican emigrants to the United States City College of New York alumni Jamaican reggae singers Easy Star Records artists 21st-century Jamaican women singers