George Nooks | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Prince Mohamed |
| Born | c. 1958 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres |
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| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Joe Gibbs,VP,Ariola,Jet Star, Total |
George Nooks,a.k.a.Prince Mohamed,Prince Mohammed, orGeorge Knooks (born c. 1958) is a Jamaicanreggae singer who initially found fame as adeejay.
Nooks started his musical career in the youth choir at his church, and moved on to perform at school concerts and talent shows. After first recording professionally in 1974, Nooks first found success performing under the name Prince Mohamed, as a deejay ondiscomix tracks for producerJoe Gibbs, notably onDennis Brown's 1978 hit "Money in my Pocket", and "How Could I Leave", as well as "Light Up Your Spliff" for producer Prince Tony Robinson, founder of theGroovemaster roots record label, which also featured popular releases by Barrington Spence andBig Youth.[1] He moved on to work with other producers such asAlvin Ranglin and Bunny Riley. His first album, a joint effort withGeneral Echo,People Are You Ready, was released on theUnited Artists subsidiary Ballistic in 1978.
Nooks also guested onAugustus Pablo'sRockers All Stars album,Dub With The Help Of His Majesty : released on Everton Da Silva'sHungry Town label,Jah No Partial in particular, is a rarity amongst the spiritual roots reggae sound system fraternity. Nooks also guested onHorace Andy'sGive up the Land discomix onHungry Town label. He also featured onLeonard Dillon andThe EthiopiansBuck Me Toe released onAlvin Ranglin'sGG Records[1]
This was followed byAfrican Roots, recorded the following year for producerLinval Thompson. He had a hit in Jamaica with "Forty Legs Dread", which was a toast onZion Gate written byCulture (band) andJoseph Hill (musician) and released byJoe Gibbs (producer) andErrol Thompson (audio engineer), and the increasing violence in Kingston prompted Nooks to record a version ofLittle Roy's "Tribal War", now singing rather than deejaying, and released under his real name, which he followed with a cover version ofErrol Dunkley's "Darling Ooh".
Nooks also recordedLightning and Thunder forRoy CousinsPhase One record label, using the Prince Mohamed title. These releases have been reissued by reggae-revive labelMotion Records. He also toasted on theWinston Riley andPat Kelly (musician)Techniques label discomix ofI'm in the Mood for Love.[1]
Nooks would subsequently concentrate on his singing, releasing theToday album in 1981, although he reverted to Prince Mohamed in 1982 for an album withJune Lodge. His singing gained comparisons with Dennis Brown, who he would later pay tribute to with a double album of Brown covers.
His 1996 single "Real Man" reached number 55 on theBillboard R&B Singles Sales chart.[2] In 1997 Nooks released his first album in 15 years, a self-titled collection resulting in three Tamika Reggae Music awards,[3] but since 1997 he has been quite prolific, releasing a string of solo albums, as well as albums shared withGlen Washington, Roland Burrell,Singing Melody andLukie D. Since the death of his grandmother in 2001, Nooks has primarily recorded Gospel music material.[4]
His 2016 albumRide Out Your Storm reached number 4 on theBillboard Reggae Albums chart, and number 22 on the Gospel chart.[5]
Nooks also works as a producer, and has run his own Total Records label since the early 1990s.
In 2022 he won theABGMA Collaboration-Duo of the Year Award together with Dingy Danejah[6]
| Title | Year | Peak chart position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAM Air. [it] [7] | |||
| "Little Green Apples" | 2025 | 7 | Celebrating Jamaica 63 |
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