Glen Augustus Holness (1957–24 June 1991), otherwise known by his stage name Nitty Gritty, was a popular

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. Born in the August Town section of Kingston, Jamaica, he was the second of eleven children born to religious parents.

Biography

Holness formed The Soulites in the early 1970s and recorded his first solo single in the early 1980s for producer

Sugar Minott Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott (25 May 1956 – 10 July 2010)Campbell, Howard (2010)Reggae singer Sugar Minott dies at 54, Associated Press, 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010Peru, Yasmine (2010)Godfather of Dancehall, Sugar Minott, dead at ...

.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, He worked on the Zodiac sound system and recorded further singles, working with

George Phang George Phang (born 29 March 1956 in Saint Andrew, Kingston) is a Jamaican reggae record producer, famously known for owning the ''Powerhouse'' label. Phang started his reggae label Powerhouse in the early 1980s. His first hits were Little John's ...

before moving on to

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 ...

in 1985, with whom he had his breakthrough success with "Hog inna Minty", a Jamaican folk song. Nitty Gritty was the first to record the song and was an instant success. He enjoyed further successful singles produced by Jammy, and his debut album, ''Turbo Charged'' was released in 1986, as was the split album with

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

, ''Musical Confrontation''. He moved to live in London before relocating to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where he continued to record but less frequently. Further albums followed with ''General Penitentiary'' (1987), ''Nitty Gritty'' (1988), and ''Jah in the Family'' (1989).Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 221 On 24 June 1991, he was shot dead in front of Super Power Record Shop in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

at the age of 34, for which deejay

Super Cat William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall mo ...

was initially suspected yet later cleared.

Discography

*''Turbo Charged'' (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 Fo ...

*''Musical Confrontation ''(1986), Jammy's - with

*''General Penitentiary'' (1987), Black Victory *''Nitty Gritty'' (1988), Witty's *''Jah in the Family'' (1989), Blacka Dread *''Powerhouse Presents'' (1989), with

Tenor Saw Clive Bright (2 December 1966 – August 1988), better known as Tenor Saw, was a Jamaican dancehall singjay in the 1980s, considered one of the most influential singers of the early digital reggae era. His best-known song was the 1985 hit "Rin ...

;Compilations: *''Tribute to Nitty Gritty: Trials & Crosses'' (1994), VP *''We Run Things'' (2002), Rhino - with Tenor Saw

References

External links

Nitty Gritty at Roots Archives
Jamaican reggae musicians 1957 births 1991 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica 20th-century Jamaican male singers Greensleeves Records artists {{caribbean-singer-stub