Sharon Forrester (born 1956) is 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 who had success in the 1970s and 1990s.

Biography

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 ...

in 1956, Forrester was born into a musical family and began singing at an early age, singing in church choirs from the age of six.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 101-102Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 114 After performing to tourists on Jamaica's north coast, she appeared on television alongside Richard Ace, and was introduced to Geoffrey Chung. She had success in 1973 with the single "Silly Wasn't I", produced by Chung and backed by his Now Generation Band, and performed alongside The Wailers at the ''Ethiopian Benefit Concert'' later that year. Chung also produced her debut album, ''Sharon'', mostly recorded in the United Kingdom in 1974 due to a musicians strike in Jamaica. While in the UK, she appeared in the BFI film ''Moon Over the Alley'' alongside Danny Ray. In the autumn of 1974 she was part of the Jamaica Showcase international tour, along with Dennis Brown, The Maytals, and Cynthia Richards, and she also appeared on the UK television show ''Aquarius'', performing a version of

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

's " Here Comes the Sun". For much of the next twenty years she only recorded intermittently, and worked occasionally as a backing vocalist, but returned with the "Love Inside" single in 1994, which was a top 50 hit in the UK,Sharon Forrester
, Official Charts and the ''This Time'' album in 1996. Since then she has provided guest vocals or backing vocals on recordings by other artists including

Alpha Blondy Seydou Koné (; born January 1, 1953, in Dimbokro), better known by his stage name Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian reggae singer and international recording artist. Many of his songs are politically and socially motivated, and are mainly sung i ...

Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

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 ...

, and Yami Bolo.

Albums

*''Sharon'' (1974), Ashanti *''This Time'' (1996), VP

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Sharon 1956 births Living people Singers from Kingston, Jamaica 20th-century Jamaican women singers Jamaican reggae singers VP Records artists