Alty George Nunes III (14 July 1986 – 7 February 2011), better known by his stage name J.O.E., and previously as Lil Joe, was 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 Hispan ...

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 the ...

singer.

Biography

From

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

's Vineyard Town area, Nunes was the son of Alty George Nunes and Patsy Ricketts, the principal dancer of the

National Dance Theatre Company The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC) is Jamaica's leading dance theatre company. History The company was founded in 1962 by Rex Nettleford and Eddy Thomas with fifteen dancers, with Nettleford acting as its artistic director and pri ...

, and studied at Wolmer's Boys High School.Young artiste Lil' Joe is dead
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety ...

'', 8 February 2011, retrieved 2012-07-14 Known for his 'conscious' lyrics, Nunes was a member of the

Twelve Tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, thro ...

. He was a member of the group Jah Children in the 1990s, who toured Europe before splitting up. He placed third in the JCDC's Festival Song Contest in 2005 with "Don't Leave".Smith, Germaine (2005)
JCDC Popular Song contest – 'Poverty' reaps rich bounty for chanter
", ''

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 '' ...

'', 1 August 2005, retrieved 2012-07-14 He was originally known as 'Lil Joe', and worked with producers such as

Gussie Clarke Augustus "Gussie" Clarke (born 1954) is a reggae producer who worked with some of the top Jamaican reggae artists in the 1970s and later set up his own Music Works studio. Career Clarke started working in the music industry by cutting dub pla ...

, with whom he recorded one of his best known songs, "Not Good at All". He adopted the name 'J.O.E.' (Jah Ova Evil) after suffering a ruptured

cerebral aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circu ...

in November 2009 which saw him hospitalised for three weeks.Henry, Krista (2010)
JOE Bounces Back
", ''Jamaica Star'', 4 February 2010, retrieved 2012-07-14 He died on 7 February 2011 at the

University Hospital of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the ...

in Mona from a second ruptured cerebral aneurysm, aged 24. His debut album, ''Man From Judah'', was completed after his death, with contributions from T.O.K.,

Konshens Garfield Delano Spence (born 11 January 1985), also known as Konshens, is a Jamaican dancehall recording artist. Biography Garfield Delano Spence was born on 11 January 1985. Prior to his solo career, he was a member of the duo SoJah with his ...

Krayzie Bone Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Personal life Henderson comes from a fourth generation fami ...

, and

Ky-Mani Marley Ky-Mani Marley (born 26 February 1976) is a Jamaican singer and musician. His name is of East African origin, and means "Adventurous Traveler". He is the only child of Bob Marley with Anita Belnavis, a Jamaican table tennis champion. In 2001 ...

, and released in July 2012.JOE's album out a year after death
, ''

'', 14 July 2012, retrieved 2012-07-14Posthumous Album from J.O.E.
", ''Jamaica Star'', 13 July 2012, retrieved 2012-07-14

Discography

*''Man From Judah'' (2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:JOE Jamaican reggae singers Jamaican male singers Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica 1986 births 2011 deaths