Wayne Smith (born Ian Flemmings Smith, born 5 December 1965 – died 17 February 2014) was a Jamaican

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 ...

and

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 ...

musician best known for his 1985 hit "Under Me Sleng Teng", which is regarded as the track which initiated the digital era of reggae.

Biography

Smith grew up in the Waterhouse area of Kingston, Jamaica.Campbell, Howard (2014)
Wayne Smith, Trailblazer
, ''

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 ...

'', 19 February 2014; retrieved 19 February 2014 He performed with

sound systems In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

and began recording in 1980 at age 14, initially working with producer

Prince Jammy Lloyd James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub ma ...

, his next door neighbour, who produced his debut album ''Youthman Skanking'' (1982) and the 1985 follow-up ''Smoker Super''.Katz, David (2014)
Wayne Smith's Under Mi Sleng Teng – the song that revolutionised reggae
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 20 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014 His 1985

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

of "(Under Mi) Sleng teng", is generally regarded as the beginning of

ragga Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music. Wayne Sm ...

style

. The rhythm was a preset pattern programmed into the

Casio MT-40 The Casio Casiotone MT-40 is an electronic keyboard, formerly produced by Casio and originally developed for the consumer market. It was released in 1981. Description The keyboard has 37 main keys and 15 smaller bass keys. Its 9-voice polyphony ...

by Okuda Hiroko who was still in her first year with the company after producing one of Japan's first master's theses on reggae. The lyrics were inspired by

Barrington Levy Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. Career Levy was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. He formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Blac ...

's "Under Mi Sensi".Serwer, Jesse (2014)
Reggae Pioneer Wayne Smith Dead at 48
, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'',20 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014Brooks, Sadeke (2014)
Voice Of The 'Sleng Teng' Goes Quiet – Wayne Smith, Orchestrator Of Dancehall's Most Notable Rhythm, Dies
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 19 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014 Although there are a number of conflicting stories about how it was first found, the commonly accepted view is that Wayne Smith and Noel Davy discovered it. Smith had further hits with "Come Along" which used the Stalag riddim, and "Ain't No Meaning in Saying Goodbye". After leaving Jamaica for New York in 1989, he established his own record label, Sleng Teng Records. He worked as well with several record producers from New York, Jamaica and Europe, such as Heartical Sound and Evidence Music. In 2011, Smith made his first European tour with Little Lion Sound from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He returned to live in Jamaica in 2013 with his youngest daughter Arella and fiancé Fiona, settling in Mandeville. Smith was admitted to

Kingston Public Hospital Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) is a public general hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the oldest public hospital in Jamaica and is the main hospital in south eastern Jamaica. The hospital is operated by the South East Regional Health Authority ...

on 14 February 2014 with severe stomach pains, and died on 17 February 2014, aged 48. He was survived by five children and three grandchildren.

Discography

*''Youthman Skanking'' (1982), Black Joy *''Smoker Super'' (1985), Chartbound *''Wicked Inna Dancehall'', Rohit *''Showdown Vol. 7'' (1986), Hitbound – split with

Patrick Andy Patrick Andy (born c. 1960, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) "Andy, Patrick", in ''Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.13 is a reggae singer, whose ...

*''Under Me Sleng Teng'' (1986),

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 ...

*''Sleng Teng + Computerised Dub'' (1986), Greensleeves – split with

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Wayne Jamaican reggae musicians 1965 births 2014 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican expatriates in the United States Greensleeves Records artists