Michael George Haynes (3 March 1957 – 16 December 2017), known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican

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 ...

singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s most popular roots reggae singers and had several prominent hits during his 40-year career.

Biography

Michael George Haynes was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

, on 3 March 1957, the only child of Caroline Smith, a housewife, and Lloyd Haynes, a painter and decorator who worked for the beverage company Desnoes & Geddes (Lloyd fathered 13 other children). Educated at Greenwich Farm High School, Kingston, he lived nearby with his paternal grandmother Gladys, a market trader. The impoverishe
Greenwich Farm district
had long been a hotbed of musical activity, and during the late 1970s Michael Haynes began singing on local

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 ...

. In 1978 he recorded his first singles, "The Woman I Love", "Super Star" and "True Born African", but they made little impact. Haynes then formed a vocal trio with friends from the neighbourhood, but when they auditioned for the visionary producer Vivian “Yabby You” Jackson, Jackson convinced him to ditch the other vocalists, renamed him Michael Prophet and shifted the focus of his lyrics to Rastafari philosophy and the harshness of ghetto life. Prophet’s first release with Jackson, a remake of

The Heptones The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady in ...

' "Fight It To The Top", was a strong seller, as were the originals "Praise You Jah Jah" and "Love and Unity". Their popularity led to an acclaimed debut album, ''Serious Reasoning'', released beyond Jamaica by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

in 1979. In 1980 Prophet joined forces with the rising ghetto producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes and released the autobiographical "Gunman", about an armed robbery that took place at the singer’s home. A reggae adaptation of "Here Comes the Bride" was also a big hit. The widespread popularity of this material, and the Lawes-produced albums
Righteous are the Conqueror
' and
Michael Prophet
', led to Prophet travelling frequently to London during the mid-1980s. He then brought out the self-produced albums ''Love is an Earthly Thing'' and ''Blood Stain'', which were recorded in Jamaica and released in Britain on independent labels. By the time his rendition of Nancy Wilson’s "How Glad I Am" (issued as "Loving You") became an underground dance hall hit, Prophet had moved to London, though material for Jamaican producers such as

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.

Niney the Observer Winston Holness, better known as Niney the Observer OD (born George Boswell, 1944 in Montego Bay, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, . is a Jamaican record producer and conscious roots reggae singer wh ...

King Tubby Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub music in the 1960s and 1970s. Tubby's studio work, in which as a mixing engineer he achiev ...

and King Jammy continued to surface. In 1990, as dance hall morphed into the more up-tempo “bashment” style, based on stripped-down electronic rhythms, Prophet scored significant hits recorded in London in combination with the

ragga Raggamuffin music (or simply ragga) is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music with heavy use of sampling. Wayne Smith's " Under Mi Sleng Teng", produced by King Jammy in 1985 on a ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

Daddy Freddy on a re-cut of Michael Scotland’s "Hypocrites", and then with Ricky Tuffy on "Your Love and Get Ready". Though his output subsequently slowed, Prophet continued to release noteworthy material, including "Lead Us O Jah" in 2006, while a collaboration with the

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

-based Soothsayers band yielded the moving single Love Fire in 2008; other fine work was subsequently cut fo
Joe AriwaVibronicsReggae RoastTuff Scout
an
Sip-A-Cup.
In the live arena, Haynes performed at Rototom Sunsplash, Europe’s largest reggae festival, in 2011 and headlined the Lambeth Country Show in both 2014 and 2017. He cites

Bob Andy Keith Anderson CD (28 October 1944 – 27 March 2020), better known by the stage name Bob Andy, was a Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter. He was widely regarded as one of reggae's most influential songwriters. Early life Anderson was bor ...

as his main influence as a singer. He had his first Jamaican hit with a version of

' "Fight It To The Top". His 1980 album ''Serious Reasoning'' was released by

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, establishing his reputation internationally. After working with Yabby You, he also recorded for

Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1948 in Kingston, Jamaica – 14 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...

, adapting to the prevailing

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 ...

sound and having his biggest hit with "Gunman". During the first half of the 1980s he recorded for producers such as Don Mais, Al Campbell, Sugar Minott, Winston "Niney" Holness, and

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.

, cementing his status as one of Jamaica's most popular singers. After living in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

for a time, he moved to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, where he recorded "Your Love" which reached number one in the UK reggae chart in 1990. It was followed in 1991 by the album ''Get Ready'', which also sold well. Prophet’s distinctive voice—he had a wide vocal range with an unusual "crying" tenor style—and the success of songs such as "Gunman" (1981) meant that his energetic live performances were in high demand on the international festival circuit. He was still performing live even in the last months of his life; his final shows came in September and October 2017, at th
Mekudeshet Festival, Jerusalem
(14 September)
Dub Club @Echoplex, LA
(4 October), and at th
Music Box, San Diego
(6th October). Prophet died from a cardiac arrest in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

, England, on 16 December 2017, aged 60. He had been battling lung cancer and was suffering from brain tumours.Reggae Artist Michael Prophet Is Sick
, Ghetto Radio, 14 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017 After his death, his family, with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency, released the highly rated live album ''Live at plein les Watts''.

Discography

Albums

*''Consciousness'' (1979) Yabby You *''Yabby You & Michael Prophet - Vocal & Dub'' (1979) Yabby You (Yabby You & Michael Prophet) *''Serious Reasoning'' (1980)

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

*''Righteous Are The Conqueror'' (1980)

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 ...

/Thompson Sound *''Yabby You & Michael Prophet Meets Scientist at The Dub Station'' (1981) Yabby You *'' Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires'' (1981) Greensleeves *''Know The Right'' (1981) Prophet *''Prophecy'' (1981) Yabby U (with Yabby You and Wayne Wade) *''Michael Prophet (Gunman)'' (1981) Jah Guidance/Thompson Sound *''Stars In Disco Showcase'' (1982) Yabby You *''Michael Prophet Versions'' (1983) Yabby You *''Jah Love'' (1983) Live & Learn *''Love Is An Earthly Thing'' (1983) CSA, reissued as ''Reggae Music All Right'' (2000) and ''Michael Prophet'' (2001) both on Dressed To Kill *''Blood Stain'' (1984) Satta Blue/Ashantites *''Cease Fire'' (1985) Move *''Settle Fu Ye Settle'' (1986) Live & Love *''Loving You'' (1987) Tuff Gong *''Certify'' (1988) Burning Sounds/CSA *''Michael Prophet & Ricky Tuffy - Get Ready'' (1991) Passion/Greensleeves *''Bull Talk (1992) Greensleeves *''Magnet to Steel'' (1994) Jet Star *''Flimmy and The Prophet'' (1995, EP) Acid Jazz (with Dread Flimstone) *''Rootsman'' (1999) Ariwa *''Afrocentric Dub (Black Liberation Chapter 5)'' (1999) *''Consciousness'' (2000) Yabby You/Musidisc *''Al Campbell Meets Michael Prophet'' (2000) Reggae Superstars *''Michael Prophet - Me Deh Ya Again'' (2004) Wild House UK *''Lead Us O Jah'' (2006) One Love Records *''Protection'' (2009) Sip A Cup *''King Jammys Presents The Best Of'' (2012)

Compilation albums

*''Gunman / Righteous Are The Conqueror'' (1991) Greensleeves (compilation of ''Righteous are the Conqueror'' and ''Michael Prophet (Gunman)'' *''Cease & Settle'' (1994) Live & Learn - combines ''Cease Fire'' and ''Settle Fu Ye Settle'' *''Reggae Superstars Meet In Vocal'' (2000) *''Barrington Levy, Michael Prophet – Reggae And Ska Twin Pack'' (2001) *''Michael Prophet – Gunman / Righteous Are The Conqueror'' (2001) *''Rockers For The Most High'' (2006) Hard Soul Records *''Original Prophet'' ( Unknown year ) LP, Comp. *''Live at plein les Watts'' (2021) Rockers Artist Agency

References

External links

Illustrated discography at RootsdubMichael Prophet at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prophet, Michael 1957 births 2017 deaths Jamaican reggae musicians Deaths from cancer in England Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Greensleeves Records artists