Big Youth

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Big Youth
Big Youth, Reggae Geel, 3 August 2019, Belgium.
Big Youth, Reggae Geel, 3 August 2019, Belgium.
Background information
Birth nameManley Augustus Buchanan
Born (1949-04-19) 19 April 1949 (age 74)
OriginKingston, Jamaica
GenresReggae, R&B, soul, dub, dancehall
Occupation(s)Deejay, singer
Instrument(s)Vocals

Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica),[1] better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s.

He commented, "Deejays were closest to the people because there wasn't any kind of establishment control on the sound systems".[2]

Biography

Early career

Before beginning his musical career, Buchanan worked as a diesel mechanic at Kingston's Sheraton Hotel, where he would develop his toasting skills while he worked, and was nicknamed "Big Youth" by his co-workers.[1] He started to perform at dances, initially influenced by U-Roy, and became a regular with Lord Tippertone's sound system by 1970, becoming the resident deejay, and attracting the attention of Kingston's record producers.[1] His early singles for producers such as Jimmy Radway ("The Best Big Youth"), Lee Perry ("Moving Version") and Phil Pratt ("Tell It Black") were artistically and commercially unsuccessful.

1970s peak

By 1972 he had begun working with

number one hit,[3] and also featured in a television advert for the Honda motorcycle that inspired it.[1] The first album to feature his vocals, Chi Chi Run was produced by Prince Buster in 1972. Distinctive musically, his half-sung style contrasting with his contemporaries, he was also visually distinctive, with his teeth inlaid with red, gold, and green jewels.[1]

In 1973, he released his first album entitled Screaming Target, produced by Gussie Clarke.[3] The album is still considered as a classic of its genre, featuring rhythms from well-known hits by Gregory Isaacs, Leroy Smart, and Lloyd Parks, among others.[1][4] Around this time, he also notched up some achievements in the singles chart, having seven singles in the chart at one time, and having four singles remain in the top 20 for an entire year.[1] Throughout 1974 and 1975, he continued to record for other producers, including Glen Brown ("Dubble Attack"), The Abyssinians ("I Pray Thee"/"Dreader than Dread"), Yabby You ("Yabby Youth" – later known as "Lightning Flash (Weak Heart Drop)"), Bunny Wailer ("Bide"/"Black on Black") and Joe Gibbs ("Medecine Doctor").

His next LP, Dread Locks Dread, was released on Klik Records in 1976.[3] Although ostensibly a Big Youth LP produced by "Prince" Tony Robinson, it in fact only featured six vocal tracks, two of which – "Marcus Garvey Dread" (originally "Mosia Garvey" on Jack Ruby's Fox label) and "Lightning Flash" had been released as singles for other producers.

By this time he had begun releasing his own self-produced recordings on the Negusa Nagast and Augustus Buchanan labels in Jamaica, sometimes buying rhythms from producers for whom he had worked, but latterly using his own musicians, usually the Soul Syndicate band.[1][4] Many of his singles, such as "Hot Stock", and "Battle of the Giants" (with U-Roy) were released on this imprint. His first self-produced LP was Reggae Phenomenon in 1974.[3] His self-productions continued with Natty Cultural Dread in 1976, followed later that year by Hit the Road Jack.[3] He covered "Wake Up Everybody" and "What a World Needs Now" also.[5] This was helpful, as new young DJs such as Trinity and Clint Eastwood were appearing on the scene, and Big Youth's chanting style was becoming less fashionable.

He signed to

Rastafari movement
, and teenagers looked more towards the United States for their heroes. While his records continued to find a market, tunes like "Jah Jah Golden Jubilee", "A Luta Continua" and "Chanting" failed to capture the public imagination.

1980s onwards

The modern digital rhythms were far from suited to Big Youth's style, and his forays into the studio became less frequent. His appearance at

Vote
.

Yes, me come inna de music as Rasta, me a de original

rastaman
who enter it.

— Big Youth, Italy, 2001

In the 2000s, Big Youth teamed up with modern dub producer Twilight Circus to record two notable singles 'Daniel in the Lions Den' and 'What We Need Is Love', in a style hearkening to the sound of Youth's vintage 1970s classics.[6]

Discography

Big Youth performing in 2010.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-87930-655-6
  2. ISBN 1-904041-96-5
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-939-0
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 1-84353-329-4
  5. ^ "jamaica". www.muzikifan.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  6. ^ "YouTube". Youtube.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.

External links

Articles
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