Early B

Last updated

Early B
Birth nameEarlando Arrington Neil
Also known asThe Doctor
Born(1957-02-28)28 February 1957
Origin Kingston, Jamaica
Died11 September 1994(1994-09-11) (aged 37)
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Genres

Earlando Arrington Neil, (born 28 February 1957 - 11 September 1994) better known by his stage name Early B, was an early dancehall and reggae deejay whose lyrics had a cultural bent, noted mainly in his hits Visit of King Selassie, History of Jamaica and Wheely Wheely, the latter an ode to bicycle-riding in Jamaica.

Contents

Biography

Earlando was born into a poor family and left a promising school career at age seventeen to support his mother and two brothers. He began work as a machine clerk but within a year was elevated to acting supervisor. [1]

Neil began performing live on Soul Imperial Hi-Fi alongside his young apprentice, Wild Apache (aka Super Cat) (b. William Maragh). [1] Earlando supposedly earned his stage name as a result of his reputation for arriving to shows early, thus gaining the name Early Bird, then finally Early B. [2] Early B was soon approached, while on vacation with Stuart Brown (owner of African Star Sound), [3] by a larger sound system, King Majesty. King Majesty was the only set to play all over the parish of St. Thomas. In the evenings he dragged the young Supercat out of his yard in Kingston to the countryside where they performed on King Majesty for almost a year. The owner of King Majesty was a manager in the sugar cane industry and was unable to run the sound system during harvest time. Frustration boiled over for "Cat" and Early B who both had ambitions to make it "big time". Their first chance came with Killamanjaro. [1] Killamanjaro began as a sound system in the hills above Kingston with a resident mike-man known by the stage name of "Oh Lord". In 1980–81, the principal reason for the rise of Killamanjaro was because Early B and Supercat had become its crowd-pulling regulars. Soon every hopeful deejay wanted to "hold the mike" on the Killamanjaro sound alongside Early B, who had by now acquired a new nickname – The Doctor. Such was the demand that Killamanjaro set a record, that still holds today, by performing on fifty-two consecutive nights in Kingston. [1]

Over the next two years, Early B was in constant demand as a recording artist scoring hits such as Gaterman Get Fraid, Wheel Wheely (also called One Wheely Wheely), Sunday Dish, and Learn Fe Drive. [1] His next step towards the top was a move to the United States where he continued to be a dancehall favourite. [1] Early B's deejay career brought him to other sound systems as well, including the African Star sound system in Toronto, Canada [2] [3] and Crystal Blue Flames Sound in New York City. [2]

Early performed throughout the US and England (as well as Jamaica) until he was shot to death inside the Windsor Cricket Club, Dorchester, Massachusetts, on 11 September 1994. [4] While rumours have circulated as to the reasoning behind the murder, his killers have never been found.

Early B recorded several albums during the mid-80s, which remain well-circulated in the digital age today. Several tribute compilation albums have recently been released on CD, such as Immortal and A Memorial Tributed Reggae Hits.

Discography

"Four Wheel No Real"(album #DSR 5092)

"Ghost Buster"(album)

"Sunday Dish"(album)

"Wheely Wheely"(album)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buju Banton</span> Jamaican reggae dancehall musician (born 1973)

Mark Anthony Myrie, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican reggae dancehall musician. He is one of the most significant and well-regarded artists in Jamaican music. Banton has collaborated with many international artists, including those in the hip hop, Latin and punk rock genres, as well as the sons of Bob Marley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrington Levy</span> Musical artist

Barrington Ainsworth Levy is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bounty Killer</span> Jamaican musician (born 1972)

Rodney Basil Price, known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk". He is considered one of the best dancehall lyricists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar Minott</span> Jamaican reggae singer (1956–2010)

Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer, producer and sound-system operator.

Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style. Generally, dub consists of remixes of existing recordings created by significantly manipulating the original, usually through the removal of vocal parts, emphasis of the rhythm section, the application of studio effects such as echo and reverb, and the occasional dubbing of vocal or instrumental snippets from the original version or other works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U-Roy</span> Jamaican musician (1942–2021)

Ewart Beckford OD, known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting. U-Roy was known for a melodic style of toasting applied with a highly developed sense of timing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Cat</span> Jamaican deejay

William Anthony Maragh, also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall movement. His nickname, "Wild Apache", was given to him by his mentor Early B. Super Cat is considered one of the greatest deejays in the history of the Jamaican dancehall scene.

Bobby Dixon, known as Bobby Digital, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall producer. He was given his nickname "Bobby Digital" because King Jammy, with whom he worked in the mid-1980s, had begun experimenting with digital rhythms at around the same time. He owned the Digital B label, and among the artists with hits on the label are Shabba Ranks and Sizzla. He has influenced reggae artists such as Admiral Tibet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Youth</span> Musical artist

Manley Augustus Buchanan, better known as Big Youth, is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Brown</span> Jamaican reggae singer (1957–1999)

Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a subgenre of reggae. Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, dubbing him "The Crown Prince of Reggae", and Brown would prove influential on future generations of reggae singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garnett Silk</span> Jamaican reggae musician (1966-1994)

Garnet Silk was a Jamaican reggae musician and Rastafarian, known for his diverse, emotive, powerful and smooth voice. During the early 1990s he was hailed as a rising talent, however his career was ended by his early death in 1994, while attempting to save his mother from her burning house.

Burro Banton is a dancehall reggae deejay popular in the mid-1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigadier Jerry</span> Musical artist

Robert Russell, better known by the stage name Brigadier Jerry is a Jamaican dancehall reggae deejay known for his "cultural" lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jah Thomas</span> Musical artist

Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chezidek</span> Musical artist

Chezidek is a roots reggae singer. He is known for his hit singles, "Call Pon Dem", "Can't Hear Must Feel", "Inna Di Road", and "Leave De Trees".

Jah Lloyd, aka Jah Lion, The Black Lion of Judah, and Jah Ali was a Jamaican reggae singer, deejay and producer.

Ophlin Russell, better known as Sister Nancy, is a Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a "dominating female voice for over two decades" on the dancehall scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purpleman</span> Jamaican musician (1962–2020)

Purpleman, also known as Peter Yellow was a Jamaican dancehall deejay. Being one of three albino deejays in the 1980s, he was originally given the name Peter Yellow before using the name Yellowman, and released an album under this name. The name Purpleman was given to him by Nicodemus.

Everald Pickersgill, better known as David Jahson, is a Jamaican reggae singer, active since the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowman</span> Jamaican reggae singer

Winston Foster, better known by the stage name Yellowman and also known as King Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Boss, Joe D.. Early B. Immortal. Black Solidarity, 1980–1987.
  2. 1 2 3 Reggaepedia Wiki
  3. 1 2 "Interview with Stuart Brown". Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
  4. "Guns out in the DANCEHALL – Entertainment". JamaicaObserver.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.