Patrick George Anthony Barrett (born 15 January 1962), better known by his stage name Tony Rebel, 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 ...

deejay.

Career

Born in Manchester Parish, Jamaica, Barrett was initially a singer, appearing as Papa Tony or Tony Ranking in local talent contests and on

sound systems Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

including Sugar Minott's "Youth Promotion". His first release was the single "Casino" that appeared in 1988 on the MGB record label, although his career took off when he worked with Donovan Germain's Penthouse setup in the early 1990s. He had a big hit in 1990 with "Fresh Vegetable", and established a singjay style of delivery. He is notable as one of the few dreadlocked 'cultural' deejays of the

ragga Raggamuffin music (or simply ragga) is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music with heavy use of sampling. Wayne Smith's " Under Mi Sleng Teng", produced by King Jammy in 1985 on a ...

era. In 1992 he signed a deal with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

who released ''Vibes of the Times'', a predominantly

reggae fusion Reggae fusion is a Music_genre#Subtypes, fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae and/or dancehall with other genres, such as pop music, pop, rock music, rock, hip hop music, hip-hop/rap, Contemporary R&B, R&B, jazz, funk, soul music, soul, disco ...

album, the following year. It spawned some of his more well known international singles such as the title track "Vibes of the Times" and "Nazerite Vow" both of which had accompanying music videos. In 1994 he founded his record label, 'Flames'. That same year, he held a reggae festival named Rebel Salute in

Mandeville, Jamaica Mandeville () is the capital and largest town in the Manchester Parish, parish of Manchester in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. In 2005, the town had an estimated population of 50,000, and including the immediate suburbs within a radius of t ...

. It has developed into an annual event through his production company, Flames Productions, and is held every year on his birthday. In 2001, Barrett wrote, recorded and donated the song "Not all about money" to the United Nations Volunteers programme for inclusion on the International Year of Volunteers 2001 website and CD. It was chosen as the lead song for the CD. Rebel is a devout Rastafarian and cements his view of peace in a lot of his records. In June 2013, Barrett was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace.Henry, Balford (2013)
Tony Rebel, Tommy Cowan sworn in as JPs
, ''

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 ...

'', 22 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013 Rebel's son, Abatau, has followed him into a career in music.Johnson, Richard (2016)
Abatau does it his way
, ''

'', 12 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016

Discography

Albums

* ''Real Rough'' (1990) (with

Capleton Clifton George Bailey III (born 13 April 1967),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 67–69 better known by his stage name Capleton, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is also referred to as Kin ...

and Ninjaman) * ''Die Hard'' (1991) Penthouse (with Cutty Ranks) * ''20 Man Dead'' (1991) Charm (with Cutty Ranks) * ''Rebel with a Cause'' (1992) Penthouse * ''Rebellious'' (1992) Ras * ''Vibes of the Time'' (1993) Columbia * ''If Jah'' (1997) VP * ''Jah Is by My Side'' (1997) VP * ''Realms of a Rebel'' (2001) RAS * ''Connection'' (2004) Next Music * ''I Rebel'' (2007) Flames He appeared on the track "Rebel" (2000), from Dr.Alban's album "PRESCRIPTION".

Compilations

* ''Collector's Series Vol. 1'' – 1998, Penthouse * ''Collector's Series Vol. 2'' – 1999, Penthouse

References

External links

Official website of Tony Rebel

"Nazerite Vow"

"Vibes of the Times"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebel, Tony 1962 births Living people Musicians from Manchester Parish Jamaican male singers Jamaican reggae singers Reggae fusion artists VP Records artists Columbia Records artists Jamaican justices of the peace