Richard Stephenson (born 5 December 1966), better known as Richie Stephens is a Jamaican R&B,

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 ...

and

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.

Biography

Born in

Savanna-la-Mar Savanna-la-Mar (commonly known as Sav-la-Mar, or simply Sav) is the chief town and capital of Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica. A coastal town, it contains an 18th-century fort constructed for colonial defence against pirates in the Caribbean. Hi ...

Westmoreland, Jamaica Westmoreland () is the westernmost Parishes of Jamaica, parish in Jamaica, on the south side of the island. It lies south of Hanover, Jamaica, Hanover, southwest of Saint James, Jamaica, Saint James, and northwest of Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica, S ...

,Richie Stephens wins GG Achievement Awards for Westmoreland
YardFlex.com (6 October 2006). Retrieved on 13 July 2013. Stephens worked in the early 1990s as part of the twice

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

winning act

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

. He recorded at

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

, and recorded for the VP label before establishing his own label, Pot of Gold Records. Later that decade he released dancehall

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

such as "Winner", "Bus the Place" and "Slop Dem". His tracks "Legacy" (

Mad Cobra Ewart Everton Brown (born 31 March 1968), better known by his stage name Mad Cobra or simply Cobra, is a Jamaican dancehall musician.Huey, Steve " Mad Cobra Biography, AllMusic, retrieved 2010-01-31Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia ...

featuring Richie Stephens, 1993) and "Come Give Me Your Love" (Richie Stephens featuring General Degree, 1997) peaked at numbers 64 and 61 respectively in the UK Singles Chart. In 1998, Stephens' album ''Winner'' was released by

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 ...

, produced by himself, Frenchie, Danny Brownie and

Donovan Germain Donovan Germain OD (born 7 March 1952 in Jamaica) is a reggae producer, one of the most successful of the digital era. Biography Germain's entry into the music industry was via his record shop in New York City in the 1970s.Larkin, Colin (1998) "T ...

. Since then, Stephens has focused his music on

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

related themes. In 2006, Stephens received the Jamaican Governor-General's Achievement Award for contributing to civic, social and recreational projects in and around the parish of Westmoreland. In January 2011, Richie's adopted son Demar Graham, who went by the stage name Copper Cat, was shot and killed outside his home in Kingston. He released a new album '' God is on My Side'' on 22 May 2012, under Pot of Gold/

VPAL VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami, London, Kingston, Tokyo, J ...

. He also released a collaboration album with German reggae singer

Gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

on 27 November 2012. In 2014, following the growth of EDM in Jamaica, Stephens sought to capitalize on this by launching a new riddim called 'Skatech' which was an amalgamation of Jamaican

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

and EDM. Stephens believed that due to ska not being at the forefront of Jamaican music for many years, combining it with something fresh could bring it back into the spotlight. On 16 March 2013, he sang the Jamaican national anthem at the WCQ between Jamaica and Panama at the National Stadium, Kingston. In 2015, he began working with Italian ska ensemble the Ska Nation Band, while continuing to work as a solo artist.Campbell, Cecelia (2015)
Richie Stephens fuses with Italian band
, ''

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 ...

'', 9 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015 In November 2015, he was reportedly working on a new solo album set for release in early 2016.

Album discography

*''On Broadway'' (1990), Jamaazima *''Richie Stephens'' (1991), Gong Sounds *''Sincerely'' (1991), VP *''Pot of Gold'' (1993),

*''Forever'' (1994), Pot of Gold *''Miracles'' (1995), VP *''Special Work of Art'' (1996), Penthouse *''Buff Baff'' (1997), Multimedia *''Winner'' (1998),

*''Perfect Love'' (2000), VP *''The Man Upstairs'' (2002), Ejaness *''Covers for Lovers'' (2003), Pot of Gold *''Come to Jamaica'' (2008), Pot of Gold *''Reggae Evolution'' (2010), Pot of Gold *''Live Your Life'' (2012), Pot of Gold – with

*'' God Is on My Side'' (2012), Pot of Gold *''Real Reggae Music'' (2013), Kingstone *''Internationally'' (2016), Richie Stephens and the Ska Nation Band, Pot of Gold, Adriatic Sound

Accusation of rape

In 2021, Richie Stephens was accused of rape by numerous women. First who spoke up was Elaine Lim 27 year-old from Singapore. She said she stayed in one flat with Stephens while he was touring in Australia in 2019 and was raped by him. Stephens denied all the allegations. In October 2021, another 7 women have come forward with the same stories as Lim told the press. The Jamaican newspaper

The 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 ...

reported that the Australian police's investigation into Stephens following Lim's accusations had been closed.

References

External links

*
Richie Stephens Youtube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Richie 1966 births Living people Jamaican singer-songwriters Jamaican record producers Jamaican reggae musicians Motown artists Reggae fusion artists People from Westmoreland Parish VP Records artists Greensleeves Records artists