U-Roy | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ewart Beckford |
| Also known as | The Originator Hugh Roy The Teacher |
| Born | (1942-09-21)21 September 1942 Jones Town,Jamaica |
| Died | 17 February 2021(2021-02-17) (aged 78) Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1961–2021 |
| Labels | Treasure Isle, Duke Reid,Virgin |
Ewart BeckfordOD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021),[1] known by the stage nameU-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer oftoasting.[2][3] U-Roy was known for a melodic style of toasting applied with a highly developed sense of timing.
Ewart Beckford was born in Jones Town, Saint Andrew Parish,Kingston, Jamaica, on 21 September 1942.[4] He was raised within a religious and musical family; his mother was an organist for the choir at a localSeventh-day Adventist church.[5] Thesobriquet U-Roy originated from a younger member of his family who found it difficult to pronounce his first name.[6] Beckford attended Denham Town High School in Kingston.[7] As a young man Beckford listened to the music ofLouis Prima,James Brown,Ruth Brown,Fats Domino,Rufus Thomas,Smiley Lewis and was especially influenced by the vocal phrasing ofLouis Jordan.[8]
Inspired byCount Matchuki, U-Roy started his professional career as a deejay in 1961 on Dickie Wong'ssound system (originally called Doctor Dickies later changed to Dickies Dynamic) moving later to the Sir George the Atomic sound system. He then worked onSir Coxsone Dodd's sound system where he ran the number two set whileKing Stitt "The Ugly One" ran the main set. This was followed by a period with Sir Percy before he moved toKing Tubby's Hometown Hi-Fi sound system.[9] His first single "Dynamic Fashion Way" (1969) was aKeith Hudson production.[8] It was followed by theLee "Scratch" Perry production "Earth's Rightful Ruler" withPeter Tosh.[10]
In 1970, Jamaican singerJohn Holt (lead vocalist ofthe Paragons) heard U-Roy toasting over aDuke Reid track at a dance. Holt told Reid about the performance and on his recommendation Reid asked him to come and see him and an informal recording deal was arranged.[5] His first two singles on Duke Reid'sTreasure Isle label in 1970, "Wake the Town" and "Wear You to the Ball", were Jamaican hits and established his reputation as one of Jamaica's most popular toasters. He went on to work with other major producers on the island includingLee "Scratch" Perry,Bunny Lee,Phil Pratt,Sonia Pottinger,Rupie Edwards,Alvin Ranglin andLloyd Daley. 1971 saw the release of his deejay version of The Paragons' "The Tide Is High". He first toured the UK in 1972 with the artistsRoy Shirley andMax Romeo.[11] The tour was organized by Rita and Benny King, the owners of R & B Records based inStamford Hill, London.[12]
U-Roy's albumDread In A Babylon was released in the US, Europe and Jamaica byVirgin Records in 1975.[13] The album achieved significant sales in the UK, due in part to the ongoing expansion of the Virgin label and stores. The track "Runaway Girl" from the album was released as a single in Europe that same year. The success ofDread In A Babylon led to a series of Tony Robinson produced albums:Natty Rebel (1976),Rasta Ambassador (1977) andJah Son Of Africa (1978).[14] His international popularity led to the albumNatty Rebel being released in 1976 on Virgin's Front Line label in Nigeria as well as in France on Virgin andPolydor.[15][16]
U-Roy started his own sound system in 1978, which he named Stur Gav after his sons. The sound system would launch the careers of a younger generation of toasters and singers includingRanking Joe, Jah Screw, Charlie Chaplin and Josey Wales.[5] The pop groupBlondie had a world-wide hit with a cover of "The Tide Is High" in 1980, prompting Virgin to re-release the original Paragons' recording from 1967 and the 1971 U-Roy version as a single that same year.[17] His albumPray Fi Di People was released in 2012.[18][19]
U-Roy was featured on the albumTrue Love byToots and the Maytals, which won theGrammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians includingWillie Nelson,Eric Clapton,Jeff Beck,Trey Anastasio,Gwen Stefani /No Doubt,Ben Harper,Bonnie Raitt,Manu Chao,The Roots,Ryan Adams,Keith Richards,Toots Hibbert,Paul Douglas,Jackie Jackson,Ken Boothe, andThe Skatalites.[20]
He was awarded theOrder of Distinction in 2007 by the Jamaican government for his contribution to music.[21]
His last recording was the song "The Coming of Jah Jah" for the project "The Deejay Battle: Sly & Robbie vs Roots Radics" released in April 2023 produced by the Grammy nominated musician and producer Hernan "Don Camel" Sforzini.
Rastafari has been a feature of U-Roy's lyrics from his earliest singles to his latest albumPray Fi Di People. Beckford's second single "Rightful Ruler" (1969) opens with a profession of Rastafari faith given in the Ethiopian languageAmharic:
Kibir amlak (Glory to Jah)
Qedamawi ras fetari (First creator)
Qedamawi iyesus kristos (Holy Jesus Christ)
Lebdama mabrak isad
Tenayistilgn (Greetings)
His "Joyful Locks" (1975) is a DJ version ofLinval Thompson's "Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks"; an encouragement to others to keep their dreadlocks and to "let it grow". The original song and U-Roy's DJ version both allude to the biblicalSamson who as a Nazarite was expected to make certain religious vows including the ritual treatment of his hair as described in Chapter Six of theBook of Numbers:[22]
All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
Beckford's death was confirmed on 17 February 2021 when his partner, Marcia Smikle, told the Jamaican newspaperThe Gleaner.Trojan Records was also informed about his death. While no cause of death was made public at the time, he suffered from diabetes, hypertension, and problems with his kidneys prior to his death, and had been undergoing surgery at the hospital.[23]
Beckford was preceded by the toastersCount Matchuki,King Stitt andSir Lord Comic who themselves were influenced by thejive talk of the USdisc jockeys that they heard on American radio stations whose broadcasts reached the Caribbean. Beckford was the first toaster to popularize the form through a series of successful releases on the Duke Reid label gaining a wider audience for toasting. This approach to production and the remixing of previously recorded tracks with a new vocal influenced the earlyhip-hop pioneers.[24]Kool Herc states:
"Hip-hop….the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica…..In Jamaica all you needed was a drum and a bass. So what I did was go right to the ‘yoke’. I cut off all the anticipation and just played the beats. I’d find out where the break in the record was and prolonged it and people would love it. So I was giving them their own taste and beat percussion wise….cause my music is all about heavy bass."[25]
Many internationally known dancehall deejays have acknowledged U-Roy as an influence on their careers, includingSean Paul andShabba Ranks.[26]
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