Joseph Hill (22 January 1949 – 19 August 2006) was the lead singer and songwriter for the

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 ...

group

Culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

, most famous for their 1977 hit " Two Sevens Clash", but also well known for their "International Herb" single. Hill recorded twenty-two albums.

Biography

Early life and career

Joseph Hill was born in 1949 in Linstead, a town in

Saint Catherine Parish Saint Catherine () is a parish in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parishes because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Ja ...

in the southeast of

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 ...

.Francis, Petrina (2006)
Reggae icon, Joseph Hill, dies
", ''

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. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Original ...

'', 20 August 2006, retrieved 15 September 2012 He was raised in a Christian family and began singing in church at the age of six.Kenner, Rob (2004)
Boomshots
, ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'', January 2004, p. 124, retrieved 15 September 2012 Within two years he was making his own musical instruments. After leaving home he came into contact with

Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...

ans and adopted the faith. He began his career in the late 1960s as a percussionist, recording with the Studio One house band the Soul Defenders. He also worked as a

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 ...

deejay, and began performing as a backing vocalist, leading to his singles "Behold the Land" and "Take Me Girl" in the early 1970s."Obituary: Joseph Hill", ''

Liverpool Daily Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Reach plc, Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, wi ...

'', 22 August 2006 In the early 70s Hill performed with two groups that included future reggae star Glen Washington: C35 Incorporated and Stepping Stone. He performed regularly on the hotel circuit, but had his greatest success with the group Culture.

Culture

Hill formed Culture in 1976, and had early success with the prophetic "Two Sevens Clash", predicting apocalypse on 7 July 1977. The record was hugely popular on the emerging

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

scene in England, heavily influencing

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

John Lydon John Joseph Lydon ( ; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a British-born singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, which was ...

and Public Image. During the 1970s the group had a string of highly successful singles for producers Joe Gibbs and Sonia Pottinger including the song "Two Sevens Clash" which made its mark on both Jamaica and the United Kingdom. It was named by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine in 2002 as one of the "50 Coolest Records", the only single artist reggae album to make the list. The group also had a hit with "Stop Fussing and Fighting", a song that addressed the chaotic political climate of the late 1970s and the attempt on

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's life. Joseph Hill and Culture developed a reputation as a performing group after a performance at the One Love Peace Concert in 1978, and was soon regularly touring the United States, Europe and Africa. In recent years the group continued to perform at least one hundred concerts each year, with Hill's wife Pauline as road manager. Hill was a presence on stage: part DJ as he directed his band to reconfigure songs on stage and part teacher as he commented on Jamaican history and current political issues. In his lyrics, Hill often explored how the legacy of slavery continued to have an influence on Jamaican citizens. Hill had received a number of honours; an induction into the Jamaican Reggae Walk of Fame and a 2005 Independence Award presented by the

Prime Minister of Jamaica The prime minister of Jamaica () is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2020, having been re-elected as a result ...

. In 2005 he received the Culture Shock Bronze Medal in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music.Smith, Germaine (2005)
Joseph Hill honoured at Hilton Kingston
", ''

'', 22 April 2005, retrieved 15 September 2012 As a member of the

Rastafari movement Rastafari is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of the movement and much ...

, Joseph Hill was a worshipper of emperor

Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or '' Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (') under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930. Wid ...

. Indeed, Hill's honorific/nickname, "Keeper of Zion Gate" reflects his position as one of reggae's and Rastafari's greatest voices.Campbell, Howard (2006)
Hill the keeper of Zion's Gate
", ''

'', 21 August 2006, retrieved 15 September 2012

Death

Joseph Hill died on a tour, after collapsing on stage, before Culture entered

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 19 August 2006.Joseph Hill, 57, Dies; Led Reggae Group
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 21 August 2006, retrieved 15 September 2012 At his funeral in September 2006, Hill was eulogised by, amongst others, Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller who recognised his contributions to Jamaican culture. His son Kenyatta subsequently took over his role in Culture.Joseph 'Culture' Hill lives on
, ''The Weekly Gleaner'', 1 September 2011

Solo discography

Singles

* "Behold the Land" (1972), Coxsone * "Take Me Girl" (197?) * "African King 2" * "Disobedient Children" * "The Rastaman" * "Cousin Rude Boy" * "Crack in a New York" (1987) * "Police Man" (2005) * ''Raw Truth'' EP (2006), Ababa Janhoy – featuring

Big Youth Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican Toasting (J ...

and Daddy Rings

References

External links

2003 article

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Joseph Jamaican reggae musicians 1949 births 2006 deaths Jamaican Rastafarians Jamaican former Christians Converts to the Rastafari movement Musicians from Saint Catherine Parish