Slim Smith (born Keith Smith; 1948 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 ...

– 1972) was a ska,

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

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. In their book ''Reggae: The Rough Guide'' (1997), Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton described Smith as "the greatest vocalist to emerge in the rocksteady era".Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides,

Biography

Smith first came to prominence as a member of the Victors Youth Band, who were highly praised at the 1964 Jamaican Festival. He subsequently became a founding member and lead vocalist of

The Techniques The Techniques were a Jamaican rocksteady band (music), vocal group mainly active in the 1960s. History The group was formed by Winston Riley in 1962 while still at school, with the initial line-up also featuring Slim Smith, Franklyn White, and ...

, who recorded primarily with

Duke Reid Arthur "Duke" Reid CD (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and record label owner. He ran one of the most popular sound systems of the 1950s called Reid's Sound System, whilst Duke himself was known as The Tr ...

for his Treasure Isle label. In 1964 they recorded several songs for

Byron Lee Byron Lee ,
, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008. born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee ...

, two of which, "Don't Do It" and "No One", were included on the LP ''The Real Jamaica Ska'' released by Epic Records and co-produced by

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

. After the Techniques disbanded in 1965, he formed The Uniques, who released a handful of singles including the R&B influenced "Do Me Good" released on Ken Lack's Caltone records in 1966. In 1966 Slim Smith commenced recording for

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

and

Coxsone Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent ...

's Studio One label, the main rival to Duke Reid. His Studio One recordings brilliantly highlight his passionate, soulful voice, which had an almost manic edge, and confirm him as one of Jamaica's greatest singers. His hits from this period include "The New Boss", "Hip Hug" and "Rougher Yet", many of which were later compiled for the album ''Born To Love''. In 1967 he formed a new version of The Uniques, and commenced his association with producer

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 ...

.In 1968, Slim Smith released the influential “My Conversation”, backed by “Beatitude” on the B side, which, as the title suggests, is Smith's lyrical take on the Biblical verses from

Beatitudes The Beatitudes () are blessings recounted by Jesus in Matthew 5:3–10 within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and four in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, followed by four woes which mirror the blessings. In ...

. In 1976, “Beatitude” was versioned by Dr. Alimantado as a single entitled “

Chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of no ...

to Jah Jah”, and in 1978, Yabby You and The Prophets released a discomix of the tune, with Trinity toasting. The Uniques topped the Jamaican hit parade with "Let Me Go Girl", but after recording one album, ''Absolutely The Uniques'', Smith left the group, staying with Bunny Lee to concentrate on a solo career. He had a hit almost immediately with "Everybody Needs Love". An album of the same name quickly followed, as did many further hits. By 1972 personal problems led to him being detained at Bellevue sanatorium.Slim Smith, the influential singer: Unsung
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published 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 ...

'', 17 August 2012, retrieved 1 September 2012 Smith died on the night of October 9, 1972. Unable to gain entry to his parents' house, he broke a window, badly lacerating his arm. He bled to death before he could receive treatment. His death stunned Jamaica. Still widely regarded as one of Jamaica's great vocalists, his enduring popularity has resulted in the reissue of the bulk of his work.

Album discography

*''Everybody Needs Love'' (1969, Pama) *''Just a Dream'' (1972, Pama/Trojan) *''Memorial'' (1973, Trojan) *''Early Days'' (1974, Striker Lee) *''Born To Love'' (1979, Studio One) *''Dancehall Connection'' (1986, Third World) *''Rain From The Skies'' (1992, Trojan) There have also been numerous 'best of' compilations released.

References

External links

Slim Smith at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Slim 20th-century Jamaican male singers 1948 births 1973 deaths Singers from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae singers Trojan Records artists Deaths from bleeding The Uniques (Jamaican group) members

Biography

Album discography

See also

References

External links