Horace Andy | |
|---|---|
 Andy performing in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Horace Keith Hinds[1] |
| Also known as | Sleepy |
| Born | (1951-02-19)19 February 1951 (age 74) |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1967–present |
Horace Andy (bornHorace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951)[2] is a Jamaicanroots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Man Army" with Englishtrip hop groupMassive Attack. He is also famous for acover version of "Ain't No Sunshine". Andy is often described as one of the most respected and influential singers in Jamaica.[3][4]
Born inKingston, Jamaica, Hinds recorded his first single, "This is a Black Man's Country," in 1967 for producerPhil Pratt.[2] "This is a Black Man's Country" failed to make an impact, and it would be 1970 before he achieved a breakthrough. After unsuccessfully auditioning atCoxsone Dodd'sStudio One as a duo along with Frank Melody, he successfully auditioned on his own a few days later.[2] Dodd decided Hinds should record as Horace Andy, partly to capitalise on the popularity ofBob Andy, and partly to avoid comparisons with his cousin,Justin Hinds, with whom his singing style at the time showed a resemblance.[2] "Got To Be Sure", the song he had auditioned with, became his first release for Studio One. The following two years saw the release of further singles such as "See a Man's Face", "Night Owl", "Fever", and "Mr. Bassie". One of Andy's most enduring songs, "Skylarking", first appeared on Dodd'sJamaica Today compilation album, but after proving asound system success, it was released as a single, going on to top the Jamaican chart.[2] The next few years saw Andy regularly in the reggae chart with further singles for Dodd such as "Something on My Mind", "Love of a Woman", "Just Say Who", and "Every Tongue Shall Tell", as well as singles for other producers such as "Lonely Woman" (forDerrick Harriott), "Girl I Love You" (Ernest andJoseph Hoo Kim), "Love You to Want Me" and "Delilah" (Gussie Clarke), and "Get Wise", "Feel Good", and "Money Money" for Phil Pratt. Andy had a second Jamaican number one single in 1973 with "Children of Israel".[2] Andy's most successful association with a producer, however, was withBunny Lee in the middle part of the 1970s. This era produced a series of singles now regarded as classics such as a re-recorded "Skylarking", "Just Say Who", "Don't Try To Use Me", "You Are My Angel", "Zion Gate", "I've Got to Get Away", and a new version of "Something on My Mind".[2]
In 1977, Andy moved toHartford, Connecticut, with his first wife, Claudette, where he recorded for Everton DaSilva, including theIn The Light album and its associateddub album, and singles such as "Do You Love My Music" and "Government Land".[5] In 1979,Tapper Zukie released on his own Stars label, Horace Andy andHeadley Bennett'sdiscomix, "If I Wasn't a Man" tune, built around a variation on the horns refrain fromSound Dimension'sReal Rock rhythm. In 1978, both Horace Andy andFreddie McKay recorded their own discomix versions of Wentworth Vernal's Studio OneCoxsone Dodd hit tune, "The Rainbow”. Horace Andy's version was released on Tapper Zukie's Roots Rocker's label "Stars", Freddie McKay's version on the well-receivedCreation album. Andy also set up his own Rhythm label, which became an outlet for his work with DaSilva. The association with the producer was brought to an abrupt end when DaSilva was murdered in 1979.[2] Andy's 1978 albumPure Ranking had anticipated the rise ofdancehall reggae, and he was a key figure in the early development of the genre, confirmed by 1982's groundbreaking,epoch makingDance Hall Style album, released on theBullwackie's label, out of his studio in White Plains Road inThe Bronx.[2]Dance Hall Style, amongst other albums Wackie's released in that period, is now considered a classic.[6] Andy continued to record with a variety of producers in the first half of the 1980s. In 1985, with his second wife Caroline, he relocated toLadbroke Grove, London, and he recorded in the United Kingdom as well as regularly visiting Jamaica for further recording work.
1990 saw Andy's profile further raised when he began collaborating withBristol trip hop pioneersMassive Attack, contributing to all five of their albums. He sang vocals on five tracks on their third album,Mezzanine, including on the song "Angel" (a new version of "You Are My Angel"). On their 2010 releaseHeligoland, Andy sang on the tracks "Splitting the Atom" and "Girl I Love You". In the mid-1990s, he also worked withMad Professor, releasing the albumsLife Is for Living andRoots and Branches. He then continued to record new music, with the albumLiving in the Flood, released in 1999 on Massive Attack's Melankolic record label, andMek It Bun in 2002. He also featured on theworld music project1 Giant Leap and on theEasy Star All-Stars 2006 albumRadiodread.
2022 saw the release of Andy's albumMidnight Rocker, produced byAdrian Sherwood ofOn-U Sound. Andy's vocals were recorded in Jamaica, with the tracks sent back and forth between vocalist and producer until they were complete.[7] The album received critical acclaim upon its release.[8]
Andy is aRastafarian.
Some of his lyrics have been criticized for beinghomophobic. Andy confirmed thatTrojan Records only agreed to release his albumOn Tour after removing a track containing the lyrics "The Father never make Adam and Steve, he makeAdam and Eve".[9]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
