Roman Stewart, also known as Romeo Stewart (11 May 1957, Kingston, Jamaica – 25 January 2004, New York City) was 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 ...

singer.Gopie, Donovan (2004) "Popular reggae singer Roman Stewart dies", Caribbean Net News Stewart won the Festival Song Contest in 1975.

Biography

Roman was the younger brother of Tinga Stewart, and recorded his first single, "Walking Down The Street" in 1968. He recorded further singles in the early 1970s for producers

Derrick Harriott Derrick Clifton Harriott OD (born 6 February 1939) is a Jamaican singer and record producer. He was a member of the Jiving Juniors with Herman Sang before embarking on a solo career. He has produced recordings by Big Youth, Chariot Riders, ...

("Changing Times") and "God Son"

Glen Brown Glenmore Lloyd Brown (1943 or 1944Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)Tough Times for Glen Brown", ''Jamaica Observer'', 15 July 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2014Larkin, Colin, ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', 1998, Virgin Books, . – 4 O ...

("Never Too Young"). In 1975 he won the Festival Song Contest with "Hooray Festival", written by Tinga and Willie Lindo, this success leading to the brothers initially being labelled as "festival singers".Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, Larkin, Colin (1998), ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, . He had a big hit in Jamaica in 1976 with "Hit Song" (aka "Natty Sings Hit Songs"), about the desire to have a hit record in order to escape poverty, the same year in which he relocated to New York.O' Brien Chang, Kevin & Chen, Wayne (1998) "Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music", Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica, . He continued to visit Jamaica and went on to work with Phil Pratt and

Linval Thompson Leval Alphonso Thompson (born 12 October 1954, Kingston, Jamaica), also known as Linval Thompson, is a Jamaican conscious roots reggae vocalist, dub musician and record producer. Biography Thompson was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, but spent ti ...

, having another big hit in 1979 with the

Jah Shaka Jah Shaka ( – 12 April 2023), also known as the Zulu Warrior, was a Jamaican reggae/dub sound system operator who operated a South East London-based, roots reggae Jamaican sound system since the early 1970s. His name is an amalgamation of the ...

and

Lloyd Coxsone Lloyd Coxsone (born Lloyd Blackford, c. 1945) is a Jamaican-born sound system operator and record producer, who has been resident in the United Kingdom since 1962. Biography Blackford was born in Morant Bay, Jamaica, c.1945, and moved to Wandswor ...

sound favourite, "Rice and Peas"

Discomix A discomix, or simply a disco, is an extended reggae 12-inch single that typically features the vocal track followed by a dub version or a deejay version of the same track.Heath, ML (2010)Joe Gibbs: 12" Reggae Discomix Showcase Volumes 4 and 5, Pop ...

, recorded with The Rockers All Stars and released on the ''Hungry Town'' record label. Roman recorded two albums of duets with his brother Tinga – ''Brother to Brother'' and ''Break Down the Barrier'' – and he released a solo album, ''Wisdom of

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

'', produced by the conscious UK based

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 ...

and dub sound engineer Gussie P in 2001, which included re-recordings of some of his earlier hits such as "Peace in the City" and "Rice and Peas".Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004), ''The Rough Guide to Reggae'', 3rd edn, Rough Guides, . On 24 January 2004, Stewart attended a concert by his long-time friend

Freddie McGregor Fredrick "Freddie" McGregor (born 27 June 1956, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old. Biography In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and performed at a party later that night. After two songs, he cut short his performance, complaining of chest pains, and died from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

the next day at Long Island Jewish Hospital in

New Hyde Park New Hyde Park is a village in the Towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the anchor community of the Greater New Hyde Park area. The population was 10,257 at the time of the ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

Albums

*''Running Away From Love'' (1979) Island in the Sun *''How Can I Love Someone'' (1979) *''Ruling and Controlling'' (1987) *''Diplomat'' (1991) reissued on ''Continually'' (2000) TP ( Errol Dunkley and Roman Stewart) *''Brother to Brother'' with Tinga Stewart *''Break Down the Barrier'' with Tinga Stewart *''Wisdom of

'' (2001) Gussie P

Video releases

Stewart appears on the following concert video: *''Vintage Reggae Bash – Brooklyn 1983'' (2007) Plastic Head (DVD)

References

External links

Romeo Stewart at Roots ArchivesRoman Stewart at ReggaeID
*, Upsetter.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Roman 1957 births 2004 deaths Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica 20th-century Jamaican male singers 21st-century Jamaican male singers