Johnny Osbourne
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Johnny Osbourne (born Errol Osbourne, 1948) is a Jamaican
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 ...
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 ...
singer, who rose to success in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. His album '' Truths and Rights'' was a
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 ...
success, and featured "Jah Promise" and the album's title track, "Truths and Rights". He also enjoyed big hits with covers of U.S. soul tunes such as "Ready Or Not" and
Earth, Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...
's "Reasons". In addition, he has had many songs with the phrase 'Rub A Dub' in the title, the most acclaimed of these is to the "Rub A Dub Session". Osbourne is also the most in-demand vocalist for dubplates due to the amount of dancehall classics he has had. This has resulted in the nickname Dancehall Godfather. He is probably best known for his mid-1980s dancehall reggae
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
"Buddy Bye" (based on King Jammy's
Sleng Teng "Sleng Teng" is the name given to one of the first fully computerized riddims, influential in Music of Jamaica, Jamaican music and beyond. The riddim, which was the result of work by Noel Davey, Wayne Smith (musician), Ian "Wayne" Smith, and King ...
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 ...
), "Ice Cream Love" and "Water Pumping".


Career

Johnny Osbourne attended the Alpha Boys School, an orphanage in Kingston, Jamaica that also was home to
Yellowman Winston Foster , (1956 or 15 January 1959) better known by the stage name Yellowman and also known as King Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a serie ...
, founding members of
the Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone (song), Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Bus ...
,
Leroy Smart Leroy Smart (born 1952) is a reggae singer-songwriter and record producer from Kingston, Jamaica. Biography Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned at the age of two. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home and educated at Alpha Boys School ...
and
Leroy Wallace Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace (born 22 August 1950) is a Jamaican drummer who worked for several years at Studio One, and has worked with numerous reggae artists including The Gladiators, Inner Circle,Hebdige, Dick (1987) ''Cut 'n' Mix: Culture, ...
as well as jazz men
Dizzy Reece Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece (born 5 January 1931) is a Jamaican-born jazz trumpeter. Reece emerged within London's burgeoning bebop jazz scene during the 1950s and went on to become a leading proponent of hard bop jazz in New York City. He l ...
and
Joe Harriott Joseph Arthurlin Harriott (15 July 1928 – 2 January 1973) was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone. According to George McKay in ''Circular Breathing: The Cultural Politics of Jazz in Britai ...
. During 1967, Osbourne became lead vocalist of The Wildcats, and recorded for producer
Winston Riley Winston Riley (14 May 1943 – 19 January 2012) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and record producer. The ''Jamaica Gleaner'' notes he was one of the most successful reggae producers.
, although nothing was released. The Wildcats' manager then financed a session at
Coxsone Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent ...
's Studio One, from which his debut single, "All I Have Is Love", was released. In 1969, he recorded the album, ''Come Back Darling'', again for Riley. On the day that he completed the album, Osbourne
emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
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, Canada, to join his family. After singing with various
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
and reggae groups, he became lead vocalist for Ishan People, and recorded two albums with them. The group broke up in 1979, and Osbourne decided to return to Jamaica. Shortly after returning, he recorded "Forgive Them" and "Jealousy, Heartache and Pain" for the Studio One label. Through late 1979 and early 1980, he recorded extensively for Dodd, with these sessions culminating in ''Truths And Rights''. In 1979, he also had a hit for King Jammy (then Prince Jammy) with "Folly Ranking", and an album of the same name followed in 1980. The success of these recordings made him one of the most in-demand vocalists on the island, and albums followed including ''Fally Lover'', ''Warrior'', ''Innah Disco Style'' and ''Never Stop Fighting'', between 1980 and 1982. In 1983, he secured hits with "Yo Yo" and "Lend Me A Chopper", and later in the year enjoyed further success with "Water Pumping", an adaptation of
Hopeton Lewis Hopeton Lewis (3 October 1947 – 4 September 2014) was a Jamaican born singer of rocksteady and reggae, an arranger, and radio music presenter. Biography Lewis was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He sang in church from an early age, and started ...
' "Take It Easy". The hits continued with "Get Cracking", "Check For You", "Rewind" (1984), "Buddy Bye", "No Sound Like We" and "In The Area" (1985). In the late 1980s he was particularly successful when recording for Bobby Digital, and had hits with "Good Time Rock" (1988) and "Rude Boy Skank" (1988), both of which are included on his 1989 album, ''Rougher Than Them''. Throughout the 1980s he continued to record for Coxsone Dodd, and singles included "Keep That Light", "Unity" and "A We Run Things". In 2012, his track "Mr. Marshall" was sampled in
Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music and DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. They were founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after three years in 2011. He was the ...
's single, "
Jah No Partial "Jah No Partial" is a song by musical project Major Lazer from their second studio album ''Free the Universe''. The song was published worldwide on October 22, 2012, and released digitally in 2013. The song features English dubstep producer and DJ ...
".


See also

*
List of reggae musicians This is a list of reggae musicians. This includes artists who have either been critical to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as in the case of one that has been on a major label). Bands are listed by the first letter in ...
*
List of roots reggae artists A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
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 ...


References


External links


Exclusive Interview with Johnny Osbourne – Reggae.Today
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osbourne, Johnny 1948 births Living people Jamaican reggae singers Trojan Records artists Greensleeves Records artists People educated at Alpha Boys School