Bushman (born Dwight Duncan, 1973) 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 Hispa ...

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. He was raised in the

Rastafari 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 o ...

culture from a young age.

Biography

Born Dwight Duncan in Prospect Beach, St. Thomas,

in 1973, he was raised as a Rastafarian.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 47 He attended the Lysson All Age School, where his music teacher noticed his potential for music and nurtured him in his developing stages. Dwight then went on to Yallas High School where he continued to shine musically as a member of the school choir, a member of the Yallas drum core, playing the bass organ, also participating in numerous school concerts. He was also a member of the New Testament Church of God Choir, where he earned the name Ark Angel. As a teenager he worked as a selector under the name Junior Melody (sometimes Junior Buckley) for the Black Star Line sound-system,Leggett, Steve " Bushman Biography, ''

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

'', Macrovision Corporation and took part in several singing competitions and talent searches in and around St. Thomas. Gaining a strong local fan base Junior Melody began to sing dub plates for local sound-systems such as Lee's Unlimited, Mello Construction, King Majesty and others. The rave reviews from the sound selectors and the people of his community encouraged Junior Melody to take his talent to the next level, the studios of Kingston. He hitch-hiked to Kingston, and during an impromptu game of football at Arrows Dub plate studio he met

Steely & Clevie Steely & Clevie was a Jamaican dancehall reggae production duo that was composed of members Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne. The duo worked with artists such as the Specials, Gregory Peck ("Poco Man Jam," 1990), Bounty Killer, Elephant Ma ...

. After telling them that he was a singer, they invited him to Studio 2000, where he recorded his first tracks. Their first song together was "Grow Your Natty", which was followed by the hit "Call The Hearse". With talks of an album Steely wished to change the name Junior Melody to Bushman. Initially Duncan was unhappy with this name, he thought it somehow derogatory to him coming from the country, until he researched the name only to discover that 'Bushman' was an African name for 'Medicine Man'. "Call The Hearse" became a big hit in Jamaica, and was followed by "Rude Boy Life" and his debut album, ''Nyah Man Chant'' (1997). ''Nyah Man Chant'' was described in ''The Rough Guide to Reggae'' as "as good an example of modern cultural singing as you could hope to find."Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p.369 Bushman then moved on to work with

King 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 ...

, who produced his next two albums - ''Total Commitment'', which collected most of the early singles he recorded for the producer, and ''Higher Ground''. ''A Better Place'' was the fourth album from Bushman. For this album Bushman teamed up with the UK-based Stingray team. Despite the ever-increasing recognition of his talent Bushman remains a humble, down to earth figure, who still lives in St. Thomas with his wife and children, follows a strict

ital Ital, also spelled I-tal (), is food often celebrated by those in the Rastafari movement. It is compulsory in the Bobo Ashanti and Nyabinghi mansions, though not in the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The word derives from the English word "vital", ...

diet, and bathes in the hot water springs of St. Thomas. ''Conquering Lion'', featuring a guest appearance from

Capleton Clifton George Bailey III (born 13 April 1967),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 67–69 better known by his stage name Capleton, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is also referred to as Kin ...

, was released on 19 October 2012.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2012)
Bushman works on album
, ''

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 ''The Gleaner'' is an ...

'', 27 July 2012, retrieved 29 July 2012

Discography

*''

Nyah Man Chant ''Nyah Man Chant'' is the debut album from Jamaican roots reggae singer Bushman. It was released in 1997 by Greensleeves Records in the United Kingdom and by VP Records in the United States.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (1999) "Reggae: 100 Essent ...

'' (1997),

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 Fo ...

/ VP *''Total Commitment'' (2000), Greensleeves *''A Better Place'' (2001), Artists Only - reissued as ''My Meditation'' (2003), Charm *''Higher Ground'' (2001), Greensleeves *''Toe 2 Toe vol. 4'' (2002), Charm - with Luciano *''Signs'' (2004), VP *''Get it in Your Mind'' (2008), Burning Bushes *''Bushman Sings The Bush Doctor'' (2011), VP *''Conquering Lion'' (2018), Burning Bushes Music *Your Life (2021), Futureline Records ;Compilations: *''Most Wanted'' (2009), Greensleeves

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bushman 1973 births Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican Rastafarians Living people People from Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica VP Records artists Greensleeves Records artists