Barrington Levy et Tippa Irie

In an era where the age of your average pop star is younger than it ever has been before, it can sometimes be odd to hear that it’s not necessarily a modern phenomenon. Barrington Levy is a perfect example of this, considering that he’s been a succesful and respected reggae artist since the age of thirteen. His first brush with the big-time came with his very first band, the Mighty Multitude, which he formed with his cousin Everton Dacres. They released one single in 1977 which wasn’t succesful on the charts, but did secure Levy a solo career that he began one year later. His debut single also tanked but he made a name for himself as a popular live act at dancehalls all over his native Jamaica. It was his live act that made his career, as it got him in contact with Hyman Wright, a record producer who would take the teenager into the studio and record most of the songs that made up Levy’s 1979 debut effort “Bounty Hunter”.

Levy soon became a sensation in his home country, and due to reggae’s massive popularity in the U.K he became a big name over there as well for his 1979 effort (the third album he released that year) “English Man” and 1980’s “Robin Hood”. He remained one of reggae’s most prolific hit-makers for the rest of the 80’s but his star took a downturn during the 90’s. However, his music had become a go-to source for samples in the up-and-coming Jungle scene, and thanks to that, his career got a second wind in the late 90’s thanks to his 1998 album “Living Dangerously”, a huge hit that saw him collaborate with Snoop Dogg himself. Ever since then, he’s remained one of the most respected names in reggae, and has a live show that any musician, even one with as much experience as Levy, would kill to have. For that, Barrington Levy comes highly recommended.