Leroy Smart (born 1952) 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-songwriter and record producer from

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 ...

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 Alpha Cottage School (often referred to as Alpha Boys' School, Convent of Mercy "Alpha" Academy and now called Alpha Institute) was the name of the vocational residential school on South Camp Road in Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica, still ru ...

, where he studied singing, drums, and dancing.Liner notes from the "Dread Hot In Africa" CD, 2006> Smart recorded his first single, "It Pains Me", in 1969 for a producer called Mr. Caribbean.Interview with Leroy Smart, 2006, liner notes from the "Dread Hot In Africa" CD In 1970, he recorded "

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

" for

Joe Gibbs Joseph Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former American football, football coach. He served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 Washingto ...

and the first version of one of his most famous songs, "Pride & Ambition", with producer Gussie Clarke. In 1972, he recorded the conscious tune, "

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Helps The Man" for

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 ''Jackpot'' label, drawing inspiration from the

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

and

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

teaching

God helps those who help themselves The phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is a motto that emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and Agency (philosophy), agency. The phrase originated in ancient Greece as "the gods help those who help themselves" and may originally ...

. His breakthrough would come in 1973 with "Mother Liza", produced by Jimmy Radway, which topped the local singles chart, and led to "Pride & Ambition" also becoming a big local hit. After working with

for several years, he recorded another of his best-known songs, "Ballistic Affair", at Channel One in 1976, and began producing himself in 1977. Smart has continued recording and remains popular, with over 35 albums to his name. He is regarded as one of Jamaica's most outrageous and colourful characters. Smart appeared in the film '' Rockers'' along with contemporaries such as

Gregory Isaacs Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...

and Jacob Miller. During the heyday of

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 ...

, in 1978, along with

Dillinger (musician) Lester Bullock (born 25 June 1953), better known by the stage name Dillinger, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He was part of the second wave of deejay Deejay (Jamaican), toasters who rose to prominence during the mid-1970s. Biography Born in Ki ...

and

Delroy Wilson Delroy George Wilson CD (5 October 1948 – 6 March 1995) Greene, Jo-Ann, " Delroy Wilson Biography, allmusic.com, Macrovision Corporation was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. Wilson is often regarded as Jamaica's first child s ...

, Leroy Smart was referenced by lyricist

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...

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 ...

's track, " (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais".Simpson, Dave (2014)
Yellowman/Dillinger review – Two reggae legends on the same bill
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 10 March 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2016

Albums

* ''Ballistic Affair'' (1977) Conflict/Channel One (aka The Very Best of Leroy Smart) * ''Dread Hot In Africa'' (1977) Burning Sounds * ''Impressions of Leroy Smart'' (1977) Burning Sounds * ''Superstar'' (1977) Third World/Jackpot * ''In London Clinker'' (1978) Attack * '' Jah Loves Everyone'' (1978) Burning Sounds * ''

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

'' (1978) Burning Rockers/Burning Sounds * ''Let Everyman Survive'' (1979) GG's * ''Showcase Rub A Dub'' (1979) GG's * ''Disco Showcase'' (1979) Gussie * ''Harder Than The Rest'' (197?) Tad's * ''Reggae Showcase Vol 1'' (197?) Imperial * ''Too Much Grudgefulness'' (1981) Jah Life * ''She Just a Draw Card'' (1982) Worldwide Success * ''On Top'' (1983) Live & Learn * ''She Love It In The Morning'' (1983) GG's * ''Style and Fashion'' (1983) Nura * ''Exclusive'' (1984) Dynamite * ''Live Up Roots Children'' (1984) Sunset * ''Rockers Award Winners'' (1985)

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 ...

(with Sugar Minott) * ''Back To Back'' (1985) Volcano (with Junior Reid) * ''Bank Account'' (1985) Powerhouse * ''Showcase'' (1985) Fatman * ''We Rule Everytime'' (1985) Jammy's * ''Face To Face Clash'' (1985) Sunset (with Junior Reid) * ''

Prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

a Go Hold Dem'' (1986) Jah Life/WWS * ''Music in the

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 ...

'' (198?),

Zion Zion (; ) is a placename in the Tanakh, often used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole. The name is found in 2 Samuel (), one of the books of the Tanakh dated to approximately the mid-6th century BCE. It o ...

Music Workshop * ''Musical Don'' (1988) Skengdon * ''Don of Class'' (1988) WWS * ''Talk About Friends'' (1993) * ''Let Everyman Survive'' (1993), Jamaican Gold * ''Everytime!'' (1994), RAS * ''Leroy Smart Meets Sister

Levi Levi ( ; ) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelites, Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron ...

'' (2003), Budgie Entertainments * ''Mr. Smart in Dub'' (2005), Jamaican Recordings * ''Private Message'' (2005), Grapevine * ''Jah Loves Everyone + Impressions'' - CD album double disc 2019 Burning Sounds * ''Propaganda album'' - 180 gram vinyl reissue Burning Sounds * ''Impressions'' - 180 gram vinyl reissue 2020 Burning Sounds

References

External links

Discography
at Roots Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, Leroy Jamaican record producers 1952 births Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians People educated at Alpha Boys School