Carl Harvey (born 1 October 1958) is a

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 ...

n born Canadian

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

who recorded as a member of Crack of Dawn and

The Aggrovators The Aggrovators were a dub/reggae backing band in the 1970s and 1980s, and one of the main session bands of producer Bunny Lee. The line-up varied, with Lee using the name for whichever set of musicians he was using at any time.Larkin, Col ...

in the 1970s, and later became guitarist for

Toots & the Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

Early life and education

Harvey was born in Jamaica and emigrated to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada with his family at an early age. He began playing guitar aged 13 and also played the

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

at school.

Career

After listening to music by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

, Harvey joined the Toronto funk and soul band Crack of Dawn, which was signed by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

and had hits in Canada with "It's Alright" and "Keep the Faith" in 1976. In the mid-1970s, Harvey visited Jamaica regularly and recorded as a member of

Bunny Lee Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...

's house band The Aggrovators, playing on albums such as ''Kaya Dub'',

Jackie Mittoo Donat Roy Mittoo (3 March 1948 – 16 December 1990), better known as Jackie Mittoo, was a Jamaican-Canadian keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a member of The Skatalites and musical director of the Studio One record label. ...

's ''In Cold Blood'' and ''King in the Arena'', and also played guitar on

Willi Williams Willi Williams (also Willie Williams) (born 15 June 1953) is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and producer. He is known as the "Armagideon Man" after his hit, " Armagideon Time", first recorded in 1977 at Studio One in Kingston. The song w ...

' ''Messenger Man''.Carl Harvey
at Roots Archives In 1978, he went into the studio with Lee to record several tracks where he played improvised guitar over some of Lee's classic rhythms. These were released in 1979 as the album ''Ecstasy of Mankind'' on the British label Cancer. Although the record was unavailable for many years, it was released by

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

in 1994, who sold it as a

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

album, under the title ''Guitar Boogie Dub''. The album was given a wider release, with correct title and credits, in 2005 by Makasound Records. In the 1980s, Harvey became the lead guitarist of Toots & the Maytals, and has been with the band for over twenty-five years.Johnson, Reed (2009)
Live: Toots & the Maytals and Black Uhuru at the Hollywood Bowl
, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', 11 August 2009''Ecstasy of Mankind'' review
, Reggae-Reviews.com The band performed internationally, including in the United States and the United Kingdom. Harvey also toured with his own band, with Jackie Mittoo, and worked as a

, producing four albums by Messenjah (two of which were nominated for

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

), and recordings by the Juno-winning Kim Richardson and Sway."Reggae"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

'', June 10, 2007. He later played lead guitar in Messenjah. Harvey released a second solo album, ''The Times'', in 2005."Carl Harvey - The Times"
''AllMusic'' Review by Stewart Mason

Solo discography

*''Ecstasy of Mankind'' (1979), Cancer *''The Times'' (2005) - Carl Harvey (credited to Carl Harvey & Friends) *''Unleashed'' EP (2012) - Carl Harvey Project

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Carl 1958 births Living people Jamaican emigrants to Canada 20th-century Black Canadian musicians Canadian guitarists Canadian reggae musicians Musicians from Toronto Toots and the Maytals members 21st-century Black Canadian musicians