Winston Tucker (born 1946), better known as Winston Groovy, is 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 ...

singer best known for his recordings between the late 1960s and 1980s.

Biography

Tucker was born in the Waltham Park Road area of

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 ...

in 1946.Birchmeier, Jason " Winston Groovy Biography, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'', Macrovision Corporation His first recording session was for producer and sound system operator

King Edwards King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ti ...

, which resulted in "She's Mine"; It was never released but was played exclusively on Edwards' sound system. Tucker relocated to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England in 1961 to join his father.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 116Official Bio
, WinstonGroovy.COM, retrieved 1 November 2009 He joined The Ebonites while still at school and toured with the band. He moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1969 and began working with producer

Laurel Aitken Lorenzo "Laurel" Aitken (22 April 1927 – 17 July 2005) was an influential Caribbean singer and one of the pioneers of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Ska". Career Born in Cuba of mixed Cuban and Jamaican desc ...

, adopting the stage name Winston Groovy. He had minor hits with "Yellow Bird" and "Standing on the Corner" and had his first big hit with the

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

-produced "I Wanna Be Loved". With Aitken, he recorded a reggae version of

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Rec ...

' "Funky Chicken". Further 1970s singles included a cover version of

Dr. Hook Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (shortened to Dr. Hook in 1975) is an American rock band, formed in Union City, New Jersey. The band had commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles "Sylvia's Mother", " The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" (both 1972) ...

's "Sylvia's Mother", " Oh My My", "I've Got a Nose for Trouble", and "

Please Don't Make Me Cry "Please Don't Make Me Cry" is a song written and originally recorded by Winston Groovy in 1970. UB40 version The most well-known recorded version of the song is by reggae group UB40, and was the follow-up single to their chart-topping cover ...

", recorded in 1970 for

Eddy Grant Edmond Montague Grant (born 5 March 1948) is a Guyanese-British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his genre-blending sound; his music has blended elements of pop, British rock, soul, funk, reggae, electronic music, Afr ...

's Torpedo label. He continued to record in the 1980s and his career was given a boost in 1983 when

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

recorded a version of "Please Don't Make Me Cry" for their ''Labour of Love'' album, which was also a top 10 single for the band. This led

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name ''Trojan'' comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck t ...

to reissue the original. Groovy had a minor hit in 1985 with a reggae version of

The Commodores Commodores are an American funk and Soul music, soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed wit ...

' "Nightshift", reaching number 83 in the UK.Winston Groovy
Chart Stats In 1990, he set up the W.G. Records label, and released his self-produced albums ''Talking Love'', ''Please Don't Make Me Cry'' and ''Coming On Strong''. In 2000, Groovy performed as a guest on

's ''

Labour of Love III Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

'' tour at the

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

and

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

, and he recorded the UB40 song "Don't Slow Down" for the 2002 album ''UB40 Present the Fathers of Reggae''.

Discography

Albums

*''Presenting Winston Groovy'' (1974),

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

*''The Groovy Collection'' (1978), Trojan *''African Girl'' (1984), Blue Moon *''Free the People (Groovin' with Winston Groovy)'' (1984), Pama *''Talking Love'' (199?), W.G. *''Please Don't Make Me Cry'' (199?), W.G. *''Coming on Strong'' (199?), W.G. *''Come Rock Me'' (1995), W.G./ Jet Star *''The Best of Winston Groovy'' (1998), Rhino *''The Best of Vol. 2'' *''Step by Step'' (2002), W.G./Jet Star *''Please Don't Make Me Cry - The Anthology'' (2004), Trojan *''Back in Time With Mr. Groovy''

Singles

*"Lover Come Back" (1969), Grape - B-side of King Horror's "The Hole" *"Leaving Me Standing" (1969), Grape *"Merry Xmas" (1969), Grape *"Funky Chicken" (1969), Jackpot *"Funny" (1969), Jackpot *"Island in the Sun" (1969), Nu-Beat *"Josephine" (1969), Nu-Beat *"You Can't Turn Your Back on Me" (1970), Attack *"I Like the Way" (1970), Crab *"Standing on the Corner" (1970), Nu-Beat *"Yellow Bird" (1970), Nu-Beat *"Here Is My Heart" (1970), Nu-Beat *"Groovin'" (1970), Nu-Beat *"Tennessee Waltz" (1970), Nu-Beat *"

" (1970), Torpedo *"I Wanna Be Loved" (1971), Bullet *"I've Got to Find a Way to Win Mary Back" (1971), Crab *"Don't Break My Heart" (1971), Pama *"Free the People" (1971), Pama Supreme *"What You Gonna Do" (1972), Pama Supreme *"Sylvia's Mother" (1972), Pama Supreme *"Get Back Together" (197?), Bullet *"Heaven Help Us" (197?), Pama *"News for My Baby" (197?), Horse *"Your Cheating Heart" (197?), Horse *" Oh My My" (1974), Trojan *"I've Got a Nose for Trouble" *"No One Day Love" (1977), Trojan *"I'm Going Back" (1977), B&C *"I Really Love You" (1978), Greenway *"We Shall Overcome" (1978), Lover's Rock *"Hello Robin Redbreast" (1979), Laser *"Something on the Side" (1981), DJM *"Adam & Eve" (1982), PRT *"Don't Blame Me" (198?), Time *"Paradise in Your Eyes" (198?) *"So in Love With You" (198?) *"Nightshift" (1985), Jive - UK #83 *"Rock Me Tonight" (1985), Jive *"Blanket on the Ground" (1986), A1 *''Equal Justice Equal Rights'' EP (199?), W.G. - four songs dedicated to

Stephen Lawrence Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

*"Missing You" (199?), W.G. *"All Because of You", EMI *"Laugh and Grow Fat", Trojan *"My Love Will Never Fade" *"South of the Border" *"To Give Your Lovin'" *"You Made It Look Easy" *"Please Don't Make Me Cry" (????), Sound City - Winston Groovy & Bankie

References

External links

*
Winston Groovy
at Roots Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Groovy, Winston 1946 births Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican male singers