Everton Blender (born 21 November 1954) Everton Dennis Williams, in
Clarendon, Jamaica
Clarendon () is a Parishes of Jamaica, parish in Jamaica. It is located on the south of the island, roughly halfway between the island's eastern and western ends. Located in the Parishes of Jamaica#Counties of Jamaica, county of Middlesex Count ...
) is a
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 ...
singer and producer, known for his smooth, crooning, tenor vocals, up-tempo arrangements, and spiritually uplifting themes, successfully bridging the gap between
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 ...
and
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 ...
.
Biography
Williams was born in Clarendon parish but grew up on Maxfield Avenue,
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, ...
.
Williams began his career singing in an amateur talent contest in the late 1970s at Kingston's ''Bohemia Club'', singing
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...
songs under the name "Babbaru". He won the contest at the second attempt. He performed with the ''Destiny Outernational'', ''Master Voice'' and ''Santex''
sound systems 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 ...
, and released several singles, including "Where Is Love" in 1979 and "Ba Ba Black Sheep" in 1985. He failed to achieve commercial success, however, and he withdrew from the music business, returning to his trade as a house painter.
Blender returned to music in the early 1990s when
Garnett Silk
Garnet Silk (born Garnet Damion Smith; 2 April 1966 – 9 December 1994) was a Jamaican reggae musician and Rastafarian, known for his diverse, emotive, powerful and smooth voice. During the early 1990s he was hailed as a rising talent, however ...
, who had also worked with ''Destiny'', introduced him to record producer Richard Bell, who signed him to his ''Star Trail'' label. This time around, Blender achieved success straight away, with "We No Jus' a Come," becoming a hit in Jamaica. Blender's success spread to the United Kingdom where his first album, ''Lift Up Your Head'', reached number four on the '' Black Echoes'' music chart. The title track from the album was nominated for a Jamaican Music Award. Further albums and singles followed, with his early singles from the second phase of his career collected on the album ''A Piece of da Blender: The Singles'', released in 1996.
Blender was one of the most prominent singers in the 1990s return to 'cultural' reggae, along with the likes of Garnett Silk and
Luciano
Luciano is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese given name and surname. It is derived from Latin ''Lucianus'', patronymic of '' Lucius'' ("Light"). The French form is '' Lucien'', while the Basque form is '' Luken''.
Single name
* Luciano (rap ...
.
He has released several albums on
Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music.
Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of ...
and also set up his own ''Blend Dem Productions'' label, working with artists such as Prezident Brown,
Admiral Tibet
Admiral Tibet (sometimes Tibett), also known as "Mr. Reality" (born Kenneth Allen, Freehill, Jamaica, Freehill, Saint Mary, Jamaica, 1960)Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, Louie Culture,
Jah Mason
Andre Johnson (born 29 December 1970), better known by his stage name Jah Mason, also known as Fire Mason, is a reggae singer/deejay from Jamaica, active as a recording artist since 1991.
Biography
Jah Mason was born in Jamaica's Manchester Pari ...
,
Spanner Banner
Joseph Bonner, also commonly known by the nickname Spanner Banner, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is one of the Bonner brothers, all of whom are successful reggae artists, including Pliers, Richie Spice, and Snatcha Lion.
Biogr ...
,
Richie Spice
Richell Bonner (born 8 September 1971), better known as Richie Spice, is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is a member of the Rastafari movement. Some of his most famous songs include, "Brown Skin", "Youth Dem Cold Rel Bad", "Grooving' My Girl", "Ear ...
, and
Anthony B
Keith Blair (born 31 March 1976), better known by the stage name Anthony B, is a Jamaican DJ and member of the Rastafari movement.Moskowitz, David V (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dance ...
, as well as producing his own recordings.
Blender once described his songwriting process: "Well we just meditate, and a vibe just come to us, or we just sit in and bring tune from scratch without melodies or anything, and melodies come to you later". Blender has rejected the slack lyrics that have become common in reggae, stating "If the people tell you that them want rubbish, you know say them nuff fi get rubbish. Them fi get good things fi keep them internal and external clean. Never to fail, always righteousness. That's what we're working for".
Blender has toured worldwide. He toured Africa in 1999 to enthusiastic audiences, of which he said "they need to know about their culture ... some people like to come out and see Jamaican culture". In 2019 he did two very successful European tours with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency.
Awards
Blender received the Chicago Martins International award, and South Florida Reggae/Soca awards in 1996 and 1997 in the "Most Improved Entertainer" category.
Album discography
*''Lift Up Your Head'' (1994) Star Trail/ Heartbeat
*''Blend Dem'' (1995) Malako
*''Piece of da Blender: The Singles'' (1996) Heartbeat
*''Where Do The Children'' (1997) Heartbeat
*''Rootsman Credential'' (1999) Heartbeat
*''Live at the White River Reggae Bash'' (2000) Rounder
*''World Corruption'' (2000)
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 Stationers' Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English F ...
*''Visionary'' (2001) Heartbeat
*''King Man'' (2003) Heartbeat/Blend Dem
*''It's My Time'' (2005) Explorer
*''Live in Berkeley'' (2007) 2B1 (DVD)
*''Red Razor Riddim'' (2007) Zion High/Lustre Kings
*''Higher Heights rEvolution'' (2011) Blend Dem
Myspace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...