Sylford Walker (born c. 1955)61 years old in December 2016 – Campbell (2016) is a Jamaican reggae singer who first recorded in the mid-1970s and, with reissues renewing interest in him, returned to recording and performing in the 21st century.

Biography

Born in Penline Castle,

St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

, Walker relocated to

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

at the age of nine.Peter I
Babylon Burning
, reggae-vibes.com, retrieved 2011-05-12 Walker began working with producer Glen Brown but his first releases were for producer Joe Gibbs in 1975, including the singles "Burn Babylon" and "Jah Golden Pen" (written in 1974 while serving a prison sentence for possession of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

),Campbell, Howard (2016)
The ‘pen’ that keeps on giving
, ''

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 ...

'', 25 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016 Walker drawing comparisons with Burning Spear.Bradley, Lloyd (2000) ''This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music'', Grove Press, , p. 353 His most productive period was working with Brown in the mid-late 1970s, singles from the era including "Lamb's Bread" and "Eternal Day".Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 180-181 His debut album, ''Lamb's Bread'', produced by Brown and mixed by King Tubby, was recorded in 1978, but not released until Greensleeves Records and

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distribu ...

issued it ten years later. In ''The Rough Guide to Reggae'', Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton describe the tracks on the album as "minor masterpieces". The album's tracks were reissued in 2000 on the critically acclaimed Blood & Fire release ''Lamb's Bread International'', which also included Welton Irie's deejay versions on the same rhythm tracks.Anderson, Rick
''Lamb's Bread'' Review
, AllMusic, retrieved 2011-05-12Anderson, Rick
''Lamb's Bread International'' Review
, AllMusic, retrieved 2011-05-12 Increased interest in Walker's work saw the release of the ''Nutin Na Gwan'' album in 2006, which included new recordings produced by Joe Gibbs, and a string of reissue singles in the first decade of the 21st century. Walker returned to live performance, including a few European tours in 2000's with the Swiss selecter/producer Asher Selector and later in 2013 with RDBLCK Artist Agency.

Discography

Albums

*''Lamb's Bread'' (1988), Greensleeves/ Shanachie ;Compilations: *''Lamb's Bread International'' (2000), Blood & Fire – with Welton Irie *''Nutin Na Gwan'' (2006), Joe Gibbs *''The Best of Sylford Walker'' (2009), Walk Yah Walk

Singles

*"Burn Babylon" (1975), Belmont/Joe Gibbs Music *"Jah Golden Pen" (1975), Joe Gibbs Music *"Eternal Day" – b-side of God Sons "South East Trumpet" (1975), South East Music – 10-inch single *"Assack Lawn" (197?), South East Music *"God Love" (1977), Sir Clough *"Lambs Bread" (1978), Pantomime *"I Can't Understand" (1976), EBT *"Mother in Law" (197?), Joe Gibbs *"Chant Down Babylon" (197?), Stars *"Africa" – b-side of Glen Brown – "Marcus Garvey Words" (1979), Kingley Sounds – 12-inch single *"Cleanliness Is Godliness" (1979), South East Music *"Lambs Bread" (1979), South East Music *"Book of the Old Testament" (1979), Art & Craft *"Deuteronomy" (1979), South East Music *"Our Father Home Land" (1979), South East Music *"I Love You" (1979), Art & Craft – with Jah Stitch *"Deuteronomy" (2002), Glimmer – 10-inch single *"Chant Down Babylon" (2008), South East Music *"United" (2010), Charlie's

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Sylford Jamaican reggae singers Living people 1950s births Greensleeves Records artists Shanachie Records artists