Roy Shirley

Vocalist Roy Shirley laid the foundations for rocksteady along with his Joe Gibbs-produced 1967 strike “Keep Them.” An eccentric, powerful performer famed for his theatrical stage garb and quavering vibrato, his scant documented result and limited worldwide popularity belie his significant impact on the progression of reggae. Blessed July 18, 1944 in Kingston, Jamaica, Shirley initial honed his three-octave tone of voice in the choir of his mother’s Trenchtown revivalist cathedral. As a teenager he began contending in local skill contests, befriending fellow competition Jimmy Cliff, who inspired him to look pro. Shirley’s first professional recordings for manufacturer Simeon L. Smith stay unreleased, however in 1965 he have scored a local strike using the ska ballad “Shirley.” After stints with Ken Boothe, Joe Light, and Chuck Josephs in the Leaders, and with Slender Smith and Franklyn Light in the Uniques, Shirley resumed his single profession, in 1967 conference tv repairman and record salesman Gibbs through a shared friend. Jointly they made “Keep Them,” which in slowing the frenetic ska tempo effectively gave delivery towards the now-famous rocksteady defeat. The single demonstrated popular across Jamaica, and Shirley continued tour. Clad within a moving magic cape with an absurdly high training collar, his stage existence drew heavily over the histrionics of R&B showman extraordinaire Adam Brown, filled with tongue-in-cheek vocals that verged on outright cartoonishness. Throughout his profession Shirley collaborated with a few of reggae’s many influential statistics. In past due 1967, he teamed with manufacturer Lee “Nothing” Perry for “I Am successful,” and a calendar year later founded his own Open public label, recruiting famous brands Peter Tosh and brothers Carlton and Aston Barrett for classes yielding singles like “Prophecy Fulfilling,” “Soaring Reggae,” and “UP TO SPEED.” Shirley also cut “Can get on the Ball” and “Music Field” for then-fledgling maker Bunny Lee, and later on baptized Ruler Tubby’s new studio room via the boxing tribute “Joe Razor.” After rating another major strike in 1969 along with his cover of Ben E. King’s “Gypsy,” Shirley produced his NEW YORK debut in 1971, adopted a year later on with a week-long residency at Harlem’s landmark Apollo Theatre. Also in 1972, he toured Britain with U-Roy and Utmost Romeo, advertising himself as “The Large Priest of Reggae.” Shirley relocated to London in 1973, a move that efficiently cut him faraway from the Kingston reggae community, and his recognition swiftly dropped. He nevertheless continuing recording and carrying out live, starting his personal record store and later on founding the English Universal Talent Advancement Association, a nonprofit organization to aid underprivileged young music artists. In 1993, Shirley also lower a dancehall remake of “Keep Them,” retitled “Control Them.” He was discovered deceased in his London house on July 17, 2008.