Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, 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 ...

record producer.

Biography

Born in

Westmoreland Parish Westmoreland () is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, on the south side of the island. It lies south of Hanover, southwest of Saint James, and northwest of Saint Elizabeth, in the county of Cornwall. The chief town and capital is Savanna-la- ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, in 1945, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player before moving into management of the group. Larkin, Colin (1998)
''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae''
Virgin Books. . p. 139. When the band split up, he focused on working as an insurance salesman until 1968, when he produced the Beltones' local hit "No More Heartaches", one of the earliest reggae songs to be recorded. His agreement with

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 ...

allowed him to use Studio One's facilities, where he produced the hit "Cuss Cuss" with singer Lloyd Robinson, which became one of the most covered

riddim In Jamaican dancehall music, a riddim is the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the term consist of the ''riddim'' plus the ''voicing'' (vocal part) sung by the deeja ...

s in Jamaica, with notable versions released by

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as " Skylarking", as well as "Government Land", "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Ma ...

and Lloyd Barnes. Johnson also released music under a subsidiary label, Jaywax. In October 1969, he met success in the UK with " The Liquidator" (number 9 in the UK Singles Chart), recorded with his session band, the Harry J All Stars. It was also a hit again in 1980, reaching number 42.Harry J All-Stars
Chart Stats. Retrieved 23 May 2010.Harry J All-Stars And The Pioneers
Chart Stats. Retrieved 23 May 2010. This single became one of the anthems of the emerging

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

youth

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

, together with other

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

hits released in the UK through his own subdivision "Harry J" on

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. Th ...

, on a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

of the same name. In the beginning of the 1970s, he enjoyed another big success with the vocal duo Bob and Marcia with the song " Young, Gifted and Black". His productions also included Jamaican hits with DJs like

Winston Blake Winston "Merritone" Blake OD (19 November 1940 – 27 February 2016) was a Jamaican sound system operator, record producer, nightclub owner, promoter, and occasional recording artist, working under the pseudonyms Blake Boy and Judge Winchester ...

or Scotty among others, and many dub versions.

Harry J Studio

Johnson is mainly known for his ''Harry J Studio'' where

Bob Marley & the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as the Wailers and prior to that the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and the Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

recorded some of their

albums An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

in the 1970s. Thompson, Dave (2002). ''Reggae & Caribbean Music''. Backbeat Books. . p. 311–312. The studio was also a 'must stop' hangout of many British and other musicians including the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

, and

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

. In addition,

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell OJ (born 22 June 1937) is a Jamaican-British former record producer and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll Hall ...

, founder of

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 ...

, could be found hanging out in the sound room prior to moving to England in the early 1970s. In 1972, Harry Johnson sold his record shop and set up his own recording studio "Harry J", on 10 Roosevelt Avenue, Uptown Kingston, where he employed Sid Bucknor and later Sylvan Morris as resident recording engineer. Harry J Studio soon became one of the most famous Jamaican studios after having recorded several Bob Marley & The Wailers albums from 1973 to 1976 before the

Tuff Gong Tuff Gong is the brand name associated with a number of businesses started by Bob Marley and the Marley family. 'Tuff Gong' comes from Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari movement, Leonard "T ...

era, such as ''

Rastaman Vibration ''Rastaman Vibration'' is the eighth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976. Critical reception Reviewing for ''Rolling Stone'' in 1976, Robert Palmer said that on the album Marley consummately ...

'' and ''

Catch A Fire ''Catch a Fire'' is the fifth studio album by the reggae band The Wailers (aka Bob Marley and the Wailers), released in April 1973. It was their first album released by Island Records. After finishing a UK tour with Johnny Nash, they had sta ...

''. Johnson's deal with

led him to record artists such as

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Throughout the 1970s and the 1980s, assisted by former

Studio One (record label) Studio One is one of Jamaica's most renowned record labels and recording studios; it has been described as the Motown of Jamaica. The record label was involved with most of the major music movements in Jamaica during the 1960s and 1970s, inclu ...

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a sound recording, recording or a Concert, live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization (audio), equalization, Dynamic range ...

Sylvan Morris, he also recorded

Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...

Augustus Pablo Horace Michael Swaby (21 June 1953 – 18 May 1999), Thompson, Dave (2002). ''Reggae & Caribbean Music''. Backbeat Books. , pp. 200–202. also known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub composer, performer, record produc ...

The Cables The Cables are a Jamaican rocksteady/reggae vocal trio led by Keble Drummond, who recorded for Studio One in the late 1960s. History The group was led by Keble Drummond (sometimes spelled Keeble), whose first name led to the name of the group ...

and the American pop singer,

Johnny Nash John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940October 6, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit " I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican art ...

, and produced albums by Beres Hammond's Zap Pow and Sheila Hylton. In 2000, after seven years of inactivity, Stephen Stewart who worked in the early years alongside Sylvan Morris, refurbished, re-equipped and reopened Harry J Studio. Since then under the management of Stewart the studio has seen the return of Burning Spear, Toots, Shaggy,

Sly & Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

, and newer projects of

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

, Papa Sam/Kirk Franklyn, Luciano and

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

. The studio appeared in the 1978 film '' Rockers''.

Personal life

Johnson died on 3 April 2013 after a long battle with

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

. He was 67.

Discography

Harry J Allstars

* Harry J Allstars – '' The Liquidator'' – 1969 – Harry J/Trojan * Harry J Allstars – ''Liquidator: The Best Of The Harry J Allstars'' – 2003 – Trojan * Harry J Allstars – ''Dubbing At Harry J's 1972–1975'' – Jamaican Recordings

Compilations

* Various Artists – ''Reggae Movement'' – 1970 – Harry J/Trojan * Various Artists – ''What Am I To Do'' – 1970 – Harry J/Trojan * Various Artists – ''Reggay Roots'' – 1977 – Harry J * Various Artists – ''Computer'' – 1985 – Sunset * Various Artists – ''The Return Of the Liquidator: 30 Skinhead Classics 1968–1970'' – 1989 – Trojan – 2 CD

As a producer

* Sylvan Morris & Harry J – ''Cultural Dub'' – 1978 – Harry J * Sylvan Morris – ''Jah Jah Dub'' – Roosevelt *

– ''Book of Rules'' – 1973 – Jaywax * The Heptones – ''Cool Rasta'' – 1976 – Trojan * Leslie Butler – ''Ja-Gan'' – 1975 – Trojan * Zap Pow – ''Revolution'' – 1976 – Trojan * Lloyd Willis – ''Gits Plays Bob Marley's Greatest Hits'' – 1977 – Harry J *

The Melodians The Melodians are a rocksteady band formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston, Jamaica, in 1963, by Tony Brevett (born 1949, nephew of The Skatalites bassist, Lloyd Brevett), Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton.

– ''Sweet Sensation'' – 1977 – Harry J * Sheila Hilton – "Breakfast in Bed" – 1977– Harry J *

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

– ''So Long Rastafari'' – 1979 – Harry J

References

{{Authority control 1945 births 2013 deaths Diabetes-related deaths Jamaican guitarists Jamaican male guitarists Jamaican people of Scottish descent Jamaican record producers Jamaican reggae musicians People from Westmoreland Parish Trojan Records artists