Richie Stephens | |
|---|---|
 Stephens performing in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Stephenson |
| Born | 5 December 1966 |
| Origin | Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica |
| Genres | R&B, reggae, reggae fusion, dancehall |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, producer |
| Labels | Motown/PolyGram VP Pot of Gold Greensleeves |
| Website | richiestephensmusic |
Richard Stephenson (born 5 December 1966), better known as Richie Stephens is a Jamaican R&B, dancehall and reggae singer and producer.
Born in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica, [1] Stephens worked in the early 1990s as part of the twice Grammy Award winning act Soul II Soul. He recorded at Motown, [2] and recorded for the VP label before establishing his own label, Pot of Gold Records. Later that decade he released dancehall singles such as "Winner", "Bus the Place" and "Slop Dem". His tracks "Legacy" (Mad Cobra featuring Richie Stephens, 1993) and "Come Give Me Your Love" (Richie Stephens featuring General Degree, 1997) peaked at numbers 64 and 61 respectively in the UK Singles Chart. [3]
In 1998, Stephens' album Winner was released by Greensleeves, produced by himself, Frenchie, Danny Brownie and Donovan Germain. Since then, Stephens has focused his music on Christian related themes.
In 2006, Stephens received the Jamaican Governor-General's Achievement Award for contributing to civic, social and recreational projects in and around the parish of Westmoreland. [1]
In January 2011, Richie's adopted son Demar Graham, who went by the stage name Copper Cat, was shot and killed outside his home in Kingston. [4]
He released a new album God is on My Side on 22 May 2012, under Pot of Gold/VPAL. He also released a collaboration album with German reggae singer Gentleman on 27 November 2012. In 2014, following the growth of EDM in Jamaica, Stephens sought to capitalize on this by launching a new riddim called 'Skatech' which was an amalgamation of Jamaican ska and EDM. Stephens believed that due to ska not being at the forefront of Jamaican music for many years, combining it with something fresh could bring it back into the spotlight. [5] [6]
On 16 March 2013, he sang the Jamaican national anthem at the WCQ between Jamaica and Panama at the National Stadium, Kingston.
In 2015, he began working with Italian ska ensemble the Ska Nation Band, while continuing to work as a solo artist. [7] In November 2015, he was reportedly working on a new solo album set for release in early 2016. [7]
In 2021, Richie Stephens was accused of rape by numerous women. First who spoke up was Elaine Lim 27 year-old from Singapore. She said she stayed in one flat with Stephens while he was touring in Australia in 2019 and was raped by him. [8] Stephens denied all the allegations. [9] In October 2021, another 7 women have come forward with the same stories as Lim told the press [10]
The Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner reported that the Australian police's investigation into Stephens following Lim's accusations had been closed. [11]
Rodney Basil Price OD, 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.
Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer, record producer and sound-system operator.
Eek-A-Mouse is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the earliest artists to be described as a "singjay". Eek-A-Mouse is well known for pioneering his own style of scatting, differing from the-then toasting deejays in the 80s.
There are several subgenres of reggae music including various predecessors to the form.
Colvin George Scott, better known as Cocoa Tea, is a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter.
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.
Glen Augustus Holness, otherwise known by his stage name Nitty Gritty, was a popular reggae singer. Born in the August Town section of Kingston, Jamaica, he was the second of eleven children born to religious parents.
T.O.K. are a dancehall reggae group from Kingston, Jamaica. As of 2024, the group consists of Alistaire "Alex" McCalla, Roshaun "Bay-C" Clarke, Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, and Xavier "Flexx" Davidson. They started their band in 1996, and announced its dissolution in 2015, before reuniting in 2022 and releasing a new song which would be the first after their reunion, titled NPLH (Home), featuring Shams the Producer. This song was released in 2023. T.O.K. were described as "the world's greatest dancehall-reggae boy band" by The New York Times in 2004. They were best known for such hits as "Footprints", "Diamonds and Gold", "Gal You Ah Lead", "Chi Chi Man", "Eagles Cry", "Guardian Angel", "Money 2 Burn", "She's Hot", "Hey Ladies", "The Voice", "I Believe", "Shake Your Bam Bam" and "Galang Gal".
VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami, London, Kingston, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, the label has established a presence in Toronto, Australia and New Zealand.
Half Pint, and sometimes credited Lindon Andrew Roberts, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer.
John Kenneth Holt OD was a Jamaican reggae singer who first found fame as a member of The Paragons, before establishing himself as a solo artist.
Vivienne Tanya Stephenson, known by her stage name Tanya Stephens, is a Jamaican reggae singer and deejay who emerged in the late 1990s. She is most known for her hits "Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet" — later featured on the Reggae Gold 1997 compilation album — and "It's a Pity", for which Stephens achieved international recognition. She and business partner Andrew Henton have together co-founded Tarantula Records.
John Masouri is a journalist, author, reviewer and historian for Jamaican music and several of its musical offshoots including dub, roots and dancehall. He is one of the world's foremost reggae music journalist and has worked extensively over it.
Romain Virgo is a Jamaican singer, specializing in the lovers rock style of reggae music, and a past competitor in the local music competition Rising Stars.
Cleveland Laing, better known as Lieutenant Stitchie, is a Jamaican deejay who originally worked in the dancehall style but switched to gospel reggae in 1997 after surviving a car crash, thereafter working under the shorter name Stitchie.
Kemar McGregor, also known by his nicknames, DJ Flava and Flava McGregor, is a Jamaican-American pop reggae producer. He has recorded and produced music for the most renowned artists in the music industry, including Sinéad O'Connor, Musiq Soulchild, Syleena Johnson, Snoop Dogg/Snoop Lion, Jon Secada, Maxi Priest, Sizzla, Marcia Griffiths, Beenie Man, Wayne Wonder, Buju Banton, Capleton, Sanchez, Freddie McGregor, Luciano, Sugar Minott, Barrington Levy, Gregory Isaacs, Morgan Heritage, Half Pint, Tanya Stephens, Gyptian, Cas Haley, Beres Hammond, Glen Washington, Etana and Cocoa Tea, among many others. McGregor is the owner and chief executive officer of FM Records.
Joseph Bonner, also commonly known by the nickname Spanner Banner, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is one of the Bonner brothers, all of whom are reggae artists, including Pliers and Richie Spice.
Cardiff Butt, better known as General Degree and later as Snapple Dapple, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay and record producer.
Tanto Metro and Devonte are the Jamaican dancehall vocal duo of deejay Tanto Metro and singer Devonte.
Fredrick "Freddie" McGregor is a Jamaican singer, musician and record producer. His music career began when he was seven years old.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
