Barrington Levy

Born in 1964 in Kingston, Barrington Levy began in reggae in the group Mighty Multitudes. In 1979, at the age of 15, he recorded several hits produced by Hyman "Jah Life" Wright and Henry "Junjo" Lawes on Roots Radics riddims which are considered precursors of the dancehall style: Ah yah we deh, Shine eye girl, Looking my love and Callie weed.

His first album, "Bounty Hunter", which came out the same year, was an enormous success. The recordings that followed, for Junjo Lawes' Volcano label, for Jah Life in New York and for George Phang's Powerhouse label, established Barrington Levy as a dancehall star before he was 20.

After a brief lull in the early 80s, he met Jah Screw, producer and former selector of the SturGav sound, and recorded the hit Under me sensi in 1984. Jah Screw took Barrington Levy's career in hand, producing more crossover tracks such as Here I come, which is still today the best-known song in the United States, England and Europe.

In 1995 Barrington Levy returned to success in the dancehalls with a series of combinations produced by Jah Screw: he combined notably with Bounty Killer (Living dangerously), Cutty Ranks, Lady Saw and Spragga Benz. It was another combination, this time with the rapper Shyne, that brought him back to the front of the dancehall and hip-hop scene in 1999.

After 25 years of career, Barrington Levy is thus still at the top in every respect: he is acclaimed by roots fans, played by the biggest sound systems, and appreciated by hip-hoppers and an even wider audience.