Burro Banton
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Burro Banton (born Donovan Spalding; 27 December 1956 in
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
) is a
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 reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music festivals), mobile DJ ...
popular in the mid-1980s and 1990s. He is most famous for his anthem "Boom Wah Dis", which was recorded on the
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 M ...
riddim In Jamaican dancehall music, a riddim is the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the term consist of the ''riddim'' plus the ''voicing'' (vocal part) sung by the deeja ...
called "Street Sweeper". Burro emerged during the mid-1980s at the beginning of the digital dancehall craze started by King Jammy that also featured artists like
Cutty Ranks Philip Thomas (born 12 February 1965), better known as Cutty Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall singer. Biography Thomas was born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica in 1965. He began his career as a reggae artist at the age of ...
. He is known for his very aggressive style; deep, gruff voice; and was the inspiration for many modern dancehall artists like
Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He is one of the most significant and well-re ...
,
Bounty Killer Rodney Basil Price OD (born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant fl ...
, and
Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...
.


Biography

Banton's career began in 1976 when he entered a talent contest at the ''Skateland'' discothèque in Kingston.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p.18 His early influences included Ranking Joe, Dillinger,
Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
,
U Brown Huford Brown (born 8 June 1956, Kingston, Jamaica), better known by the stage name U Brown, is a reggae deejay who released eleven albums between 1976 and 1984. Biography Brown grew up in Bond Street in Kingston, living two doors away from Du ...
, and
Ranking Trevor Maxwell Grant (20 January 1960 – 7 August 2012), better known as Ranking Trevor and sometimes as Ranking Superstar, was a Jamaican reggae deejay. Biography Grant began deejaying as a teenager in the 1970s, and began his recording career at th ...
. It was around 1978 he first worked with the
sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...
called Black Hoover, later moving to the Roots Unlimited sound system where he worked alongside Josey Wales. He finally established his public reputation and career in 1982 as a DJ for the Gemini sound system and continued in their employment for a further two years. Through the middle and late-1980s, his skills as a DJ enabled him to work for Volcano, Stero Mars and the Kilimanjaro sound system, where he was featured with
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 DJ and toaster who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s danc ...
and Nicodemus. Banton's first recording was with the legendary producer
Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1948 in Kingston, Jamaica – 14 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...
, owner of the Volcano sound-system. Banton released his first LP, ''Buro'', in 1983.Buro - ''Buro''
at Roots Archives
In 1984 he toured Canada with John Wayne and began to nurture the career of his protégé, Little Burro. His single ''Praise Up Jah Jah'' released in 1987 was greatly in demand amongst the conscious
roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the ho ...
sound system fraternity in England, thanks to
Jah Shaka Jah Shaka ( – 12 April 2023), also known as the Zulu Warrior, was a Jamaican reggae/dub sound system operator who operated a South East London-based, roots reggae Jamaican sound system since the early 1970s. His name is an amalgamation of the ...
regularly playing the tune on
dubplate A dubplate is an acetate disc usually of 10 inches diameter, traditionally used by studios to test recordings prior to mastering for the subsequent pressing of a vinyl record, but pioneered by reggae sound systems as a way to play exclusive mu ...
at his dances. As the 1990s approached, Burro Banton continued working with
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 DJ and toaster who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s danc ...
and
Nicodemus Nicodemus (; ; ; ; ) is a New Testament figure venerated as a saint in a number of Christian traditions. He is depicted as a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin who is drawn to hear Jesus's teachings. Like Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus, Nicode ...
. Super Cat formed the "Wild Apache" label, where Burro recorded his first recording of a #1 hit, "Boom Wah Dis." When Super Cat signed with Columbia/
SME Records , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...
, Burro Banton joined forces with the ace producer Bobby Konders and the Massive B label in 1991. Here, Burro Banton recorded numerous #1 hits including "Washington Session", "Tek a Set", "Westmoreland Sensi", and many more. Massive B released Burro's second LP, ''The Original Banton'' in 1995. Burro continued recording with Massive B until 1998 and during this period worked with Steely and Clevie, one of Jamaica's most respected production teams, for whom he reworked his earlier hit "Boom Wah Dis" on their "Street Sweeper" riddim, scoring another #1 hit from Kingston, Jamaica, to New York to Miami and beyond. It was in heavy rotation around the world for many months in reggae and Caribbean-music circles.


2000 and Beyond

Extending his recording career with Massive B in 2000, his releases titled "Politicians" on the "Lickshot Rewind" riddim delves into hard time in the ghetto of Kingston and wishes the politicians would keep their promises of a better life. In addition, he released "Phenomenon 2" on the ''Dun Dem'' riddim, in which he praises the role played by people involved in the
ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: aːɲd͡ʒa ...
trade. His latest efforts on Massive B's ''Rock'', ''Penicillin'', and ''Tempo'' riddims features a #1 European single called "Jah Jah Rules". Burro Banton has been touring constantly over the last ten years across Asia, Europe, and throughout North America. He has shared the stage with
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 ...
and
Bounty Killer Rodney Basil Price OD (born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant fl ...
, just to name a few and stands out in his performances due to his originality. Burro Banton continues to record commercially successful and critically acclaimed music, including his hit song ''Badder Den Dem'', which is featured on the dedicated Massive B radio station in the videogame ''
Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's ''Grand Theft Auto: San And ...
''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banton, Burro Jamaican reggae musicians Living people 1956 births Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica