adminFrom versatile voices such as Bob Marley’s, to the soul- and gospel-tinged style of Toots Hibbert and the fully committed, utterly convincing messaging of Winston Rodney, the best reggae singers of all time are a varied bunch proving that the music has much more to offer than the obvious stereotypes. Whether they fronted bands or made a name for themselves as a solo artist, here are some of the best reggae singers of all time.
Bob Marley: Natural Mystic
There’s the image, pinned to numerous students’ walls. There are his songs, which spoke to the world not only of love, but of struggle and redemption. There is his role as the prophet who took reggae to places it had never been heard.
There’s his unique status, as the first global “rock” superstar who came from the so-called “third world.” What is often forgotten about Bob Marley is the versatility of his voice: being one of the best reggae singers of all time is what made it all possible.
Bob Marley conquered all the styles of Jamaican music that had developed from the early 60s onwards until his untimely death in 1981: he was a ska star with The Wailers; he sang silky soul with the same group, matching the glories of The Impressions and Moonglows, the US vocal groups they looked up to.
He sang gospel. He made glorious rocksteady songs that revealed his ability to be both cheekily salacious, romantic, and political. He sang folk tunes, went a touch funky in the early 70s, and then proved that a Jamaican voice could reach the whole world.
To do all that and succeed, he would have to have been blessed with a wonderful voice. To then use that voice to make your belief system understood and respected throughout the world is unique.
Bob was an amazing singer, the sort that compels you to listen, and which you recognize the moment you hear it.
Whether welcoming you to his you’re-all-invited bash that is “Jamming,” or lost in the supernatural connection to the universe that is “Natural Mystic,” Bob was in full command of his material and the music – and your soul.
Other singers have covered his songs, but they just can’t reach the heights he did as one of the best reggae singers in history. He had it all.
Joseph Hill: The Heart Lifter
The lead singer of Culture, Joseph Hill was one of the key reggae artists who helped make the genre popular worldwide thanks to a series of 70s albums that entranced punks, hippies, and roots folk alike. Culture, a vocal trio comprising Hill, Kenneth Dayes, and Albert Walker, made their breakthrough in 1977 with Two Sevens Clash, an album that reverberated way beyond reggae’s heartlands.
Riding powerful rhythms fashioned by producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol T, the group sang of pure Rasta concerns, and songs such as “I’m Not Ashamed” and “Natty Dread Taking Over” became anthems of their era.
The group cut enough material for three albums with Gibbs, but swiftly moved on to a deal with producer Sonia Pottinger and Virgin Records for further heart-lifting albums Harder Than The Rest (1978), International Herb, and Cumbolo (both 1979), sometimes credited as The Cultures. There was also a remix set, Culture Dub.
What made them so appealing? A big part of it was Joseph Hill’s voice and attitude, his energy and soul. Even when singing about suffering, his voice called you to your feet, urged you to feel what he felt, and picked up your mood.
He was not the most polished vocalist, and nor were Culture the smoothest vocal group in Jamaica, but they had such spirit. The will to live through hard times and find a better world was present and unquenchable in all their performances. Every time you listened to Culture, you’d feel just that bit better.
The group continued to cut albums deep into the 80s and Hill maintained the name even after it had stopped being a vocal group.
Producing his own material, he retained his roots stance yet also coped well with the rise of dancehall, recording numerous albums as well as working on singles for his own production banner.
He continued to make records until his death in 2006. Culture lives on, fronted by this remarkable singer’s talented son, Kenyatta Hill. Not just harder than the rest, Joseph Hill and Culture were brighter, wiser, and more spirited too…
Winston Rodney: Rasta’s Ambassador
Winston Rodney would not smash wine glasses with his vocal range. He would not make girls faint when he sang quietly of love, as he rarely did. He never even tried to compete with the US soul singers for sock-it-to-you power.
But if you want the sort of vocalist only Jamaica could deliver, one whose heart and feeling is in every word he ever uttered, one who knew what it was he was trying to say and why he was saying it, the lead voice of Burning Spear would be at the top of your list as one of the best reggae singers the island had to offer.
From a quiet, almost softly-spoken delivery to a crying wail, this roots pioneer has spent the best part of 50 years spreading the message of Rastafari and Garveyite beliefs, and is plainly the same voice he was when he started: involved, committed, and utterly mesmerizing.
Bunny Wailer: Blackheart Man
After Bob Marley passed away in May 1981, some fans wondered who would claim his crown as the biggest artist in reggae. One candidate was Bunny Wailer, Marley’s ally in The Wailers when they were a vocal group rather than a backing band.
Commercially and artistically, Bunny had a superb early 80s: he brought us the beautiful Sings The Wailers, a selection of classic Wailers tunes that updated their sound for a modern era, and the glorious Rock And Groove, which elegantly channeled his sound towards the rub-a-dub period that bridged the gap between roots and dancehall.
But nobody claimed Bob’s crown, nor did Bunny want it. As Neville Livingston, he had been in on The Wailers from the get-go and helped keep the group name at the forefront of Jamaican music in the 60s by fronting fabulous rocksteady records such as “Let Him Go,” “Dancing Shoes” and “Sunday Morning.” — insure4music.
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