Wayne Jarrett (born 1956) is a

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 born 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 ...

, and raised in Allman Town, Jamaica. He currently resides in the US in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

Biography

Early life

Wayne Jarrett was born in 1956 in

, one of seven children. He was raised as 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 ...

and grew up in Rachford Park, Allman Town. As a child, he was friends with fellow reggae singer

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tri ...

. Jarrett's voice caught the attention of his high-school teacher, who persuaded him to join the school choir. In 1973, he moved to

, with his parents. His mother had wanted him to move out of Kingston so he did not get involved with the wrong crowd. Jarrett got a part-time job while attending school and used his earnings to buy a turntable, amplifier and microphone.

Career

However, the

scene in Connecticut at the time was in its infancy and most people preferred to listen to

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

in social situations. Jarrett performed at a West Indian social club and tried to become one of the first reggae artists to make it from Connecticut. A friend by the name of "Belltone", who operated a local record store, took him to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to record some tracks. It was there Jarrett met

Lloyd Barnes Lloyd Barnes (born 1944 in Jamaica),Moskowitz, David V. (2006), ''Caribbean Popular Music'', Greenwood Press, , p. 22. popularly known as Bullwackie, is a reggae music producer and the founder of the independent record label Wackies, which specia ...

, who produced his first studio recording, "African Woman". Jarrett then returned to Jamaica to record his second track, "Satta Dread" (the dub mix of which was later released on a

King Tubby Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who greatly influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s. Tubby's innovative studio work, which saw him elevate the ...

compilation). After recording the track, Jarrett went to ''Idler's Corner'', in

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street situated in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It has formed the western boundary of the City since 1994, having previously been divided between the City of Westminster and the London Boroug ...

, to try to find a producer and officially get signed to a label. While at Chancery Lane he met

Jah Stitch Jah Stitch (born Melbourne James, 27 July 1949 – 28 April 2019) was a reggae deejay best known for his recordings in the 1970s. Biography After an introduction to music singing in a yard with the likes of The Wailers, The Heptones, Roy Shir ...

, who at that time was not involved in the record industry. Later on, Jarrett recorded with Dynamic Studios. Jarrett left the label shortly after.

Discography

Albums

*''Train To Zion Dub'' (1981),

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 " ...

(With

Linval Thompson Leval Alphonso Thompson (born 12 October 1954, Kingston, Jamaica), also known as Linval Thompson, is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and record producer. Biography Thompson was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, but spent time with his mother in ...

Ranking Trevor Maxwell Grant (20 January 1960 – 7 August 2012), better known as Ranking Trevor and sometimes as Ranking Superstar, was a Jamaican reggae deejay. Biography Grant began deejaying as a teenager in the 1970s, and began his recording career at the ...

) *''What's Wrong With The Youths'' (1981), Jah Life *''Chip In'' (1982),

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 Fol ...

*''Showcase Vol I'' (a.k.a. ''Bubble Up'') (1982),

Wackies Wackies is an American independent record label specialized in reggae and dub music. Lloyd Barnes founded the label in 1976, and it is possibly the longest-running American recording studio for reggae. History Wackie's is run by Lloyd "Bullw ...

*''Inner Circle'' (1984), Ashantites ;Compilations: **''Horace Andy Meets Naggo Morris + Wayne Jarrett - Mini Showcase'' (2002), Wackie's

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarrett, Wayne Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Living people 1956 births Date of birth missing (living people) Greensleeves Records artists