King Stitt
King Stitt | |
---|---|
Birth name | Winston Sparkes |
Born | DJ | 17 September 1940
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Winston Sparkes (17 September 1940 – 31 January 2012),
Biography
He earned the nickname as a boy because of his stuttering and decided to use it as his stage name.
Following the folding of Sir Coxsone's Downbeat's sound system around 1968 (as Coxsone preferred to concentrate on recordings), Stitt found himself working as a mason in Ocho Rios.
Born with a facial malformation, Stitt took advantage of it, calling himself "The Ugly One", in reference to the
Influence
Adored by skinheads and mods in England at the time, he was crowned the Boss DJ.[
Upon the success of the first Stitt releases,
Comeback
After years as an assistant to Dodd in Studio One's premises in Kingston, Stitt recorded again. He can be heard on a 2002
Stitt, who lived in the house next door to Studio One on Brentford Road, was regularly performing in Jamaica as part of 'revive' shows. He can be seen selecting & deejaying on the Soul Jazz DVD documentary of Studio One called The Studio One Story. Stitt was seen on 2002's Legends of Ska concert series in Toronto, where he selected and deejayed before, after, and between sets. A documentary of the Legends of Ska concert series was made but not yet released. He was also filmed on one of his last public appearances at the Garance Reggae Festival in France, August 2011, and made his first full international concert in Brazil, October 2011. In his last concert Stitt paid tribute to his friend and producer Chester Synmoie, who had died during his tour.[7]
Death
Following a battle with prostate cancer, Stitt died at his home in Kingston on 31 January 2012.[8][9] He is survived by a daughter.[9]
Discography
Albums
- Fire Corner – 1969 – Trojan Records
- Dance Hall '63 – Studio One (1993)
- Reggae Fire Beat – 1969–1970 – Jamaican Gold (1996)
Compilations
- Serge Gainsbourg, Aux Armes Et Cætera "dub style" – (Philips-Universal Music) (2003)
- Human Race – (Rastafari-Patch Work) (2011)
References
- ^ "Stitt's wake tomorrow", Jamaica Observer, 24 February 2012, retrieved 14 March 2012
- ^ ISBN 1-85828-247-0.
- YouTube
- ^ Le Dictionnaire du rock, Paris: Robert Laffont, 2001.
- ^ Krista Henry, "The King Is Not Dead – Rumours Fly About The Passing Of Ailing Veteran", The Gleaner, 10 January 2012.
- ISBN 0-7535-0242-9.
- ^ Basil Walters, "Reggae producer dies in Brazil", Jamaica Observer, 13 October 2011.
- ^ "King Stitt is Dead", Jamaica Observer, 31 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012
- ^ Washington Post, 31 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012