Skip to content
ErasScenesAlbumsBreaksArtistsGearVideosArtifactsStylesGraffitiSubmit
Artist

Ken Boothe

Ken Boothe (Kenneth George Boothe, b. 1948): Kingston singer billed as Mr Rock Steady. Studio One hits “The Train Is Coming” and “Moving Away”; “Everything I Own” (UK No. 1, 1974, Trojan).

More rappers from Kingston →

Stranger & Ken

Kenneth George Boothe was born on 22 March 1948 in Denham Town, Kingston. In 1963 he and Stranger Cole passed an audition at Duke Reid's studio with "Uno Dos Tres", and as Stranger & Ken they released singles through 1965, including "Hush Baby" and "World's Fair".

Mr Rock Steady at Studio One

Boothe signed to Coxsone Dodd's Studio One in 1966. "The Train Is Coming", backed by The Wailers, and a ska version of "You're No Good" with The Soulettes were immediate hits. Dodd promoted him as Mr Rock Steady. "Moving Away" (1967 to 1968) has been widely covered and reworked, with versions by Dennis Brown, U-Roy and Half Pint. He toured the UK in 1967 with Alton Ellis.

Leslie Kong

In 1970 Boothe moved to Leslie Kong's Beverley's label and scored with "Freedom Street", written by B.B. Seaton of the Gaylads, and "Why Baby Why".

Everything I Own

Working with producer Lloyd Charmers, Boothe recorded David Gates's "Everything I Own" for Trojan Records. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart on 26 October 1974 and stayed there for three weeks. The follow-up, "Crying Over You", reached UK No. 11.

Later work and honours

Boothe also recorded the album Everything I Own (1974) with Charmers for Trojan, and his Studio One singles were gathered on the LP Mr Rock Steady. "The Train Is Coming" was re-recorded with Shaggy for the 1995 film Money Train. Jamaica awarded Boothe the Order of Distinction in 2003 for his contribution to the country's music.

Press play

Watch

Now playingKen Boothe - Everything I Own (Official Audio)
ShareX (opens in a new tab)Facebook (opens in a new tab)Reddit (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)Pinterest (opens in a new tab)
Ken Boothe - Everything I Own (Official Audio)
Ken Boothe - Everything I Own (Official Audio)Trojan Records Official
Ken Boothe - "Moving Away" [Official Audio]
Ken Boothe - "Moving Away" [Official Audio]Studio One
Ken Boothe - "You're No Good" [Official Audio]
Ken Boothe - "You're No Good" [Official Audio]Studio One
Ken Boothe - Everything I Own (Official Lyrics Video) - 50th ANNIVERSARY
Ken Boothe - Everything I Own (Official Lyrics Video) - 50th ANNIVERSARYTrojan Records Official
Ken Boothe - Artibella (Official Audio) | Pama Records
Ken Boothe - Artibella (Official Audio) | Pama RecordsPama Records
Every record

Discography

Pulled from Discogs. Titles in yellow have a full page on Breakbeat Archive.

Studio albums 23

  1. 1967Mr Rock SteadyStudio OneeBayDiscogs
  2. 1969More Of Ken BootheStudio OneeBayDiscogs
  3. 1970A Man And His HitsCoxsone RecordseBayDiscogs
  4. 1970Freedom StreetBeverley's RecordseBayDiscogs
  5. 1972Boothe UnlimitedFederal RecordseBayDiscogs
  6. 1974Everything I OwnTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  7. 1974Let's Get It OnTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  8. 1976Blood BrothersLTDeBayDiscogs
  9. 1978ShowcaseSonic SoundseBayDiscogs
  10. 1979Who Gets Your Love?Trojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  11. 1979Reggae For LoversTuff GongeBayDiscogs
  12. 1979I'm Just A ManB. LeeeBayDiscogs
  13. 1986ImaginePark HeightseBayDiscogs
  14. 1988Don't You KnowTappa RecordseBayDiscogs
  15. 1991Now You Can See Me AgainAlpha Enterprise, Hybrid (3)eBayDiscogs
  16. 1993Power Of LoveNew Name MuzikeBayDiscogs
  17. 1999SmoothTop Kick RecordseBayDiscogs
  18. 2003Love Is The UltimateUpstairs MusiceBayDiscogs
  19. 2005Live In ParisDiksud, (A) La FolieeBayDiscogs
  20. 2013JourneyChadstar ProductionseBayDiscogs
  21. 2017Inna De YardChapter TwoeBayDiscogs
  22. —Disco ReggaePhill PratteBayDiscogs
  23. —20 Greatest Reggae Hits Charmers RecordseBayDiscogs

Collaborative albums 8

  1. 1969Secretly/Not For Sale Girl / Equality & Justice/You Mean So MuchUniques* / Ken Boothe, Paragons* · Not On LabeleBayDiscogs
  2. 1971The Great Ken Boothe Meets B.B. Seaton & The GayladsKen Boothe Meets B.B. Seaton & The Gaylads · JaguareBayDiscogs
  3. 19872 Of A KindKen Boothe & Tyrone Taylor · Tuff GongeBayDiscogs
  4. 2018Throughout The MoonlightKen Boothe, Napoli Rockers Syndicate · Napoli Rockers SyndicateeBayDiscogs
  5. 2024Sarge / UnlimitedDelroy Wilson & Ken Boothe · Doctor BirdeBayDiscogs
  6. 2025Old Fashioned WaysKen Boothe & Jah Wobble · CleopatraeBayDiscogs
  7. —Classic TracksKen Boothe / Susan Cadogan / John Holt / Nicky Thomas · Classic TrackseBayDiscogs
  8. —Sufferer / Kiss A Finger / Mr. Tambourine Man / Old Fashioned WayKingstonians* / Ken Boothe · FontanaeBayDiscogs

Compilations 11

  1. 1978Live GoodUnited Artists RecordseBayDiscogs
  2. 1987The Ken Boothe Collection (Eighteen Classic Songs)Trojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  3. 1994The Best Of & The Rest OfAction Replay RecordseBayDiscogs
  4. 1995The Ken Boothe CollectionRhino RecordseBayDiscogs
  5. 1999Groove To The BeatJamaican GoldeBayDiscogs
  6. 2001Crying Over You - Anthology 1963-1978Trojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  7. 2003Everything I Own The Best Of Ken BootheTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  8. 2006You're No GoodAttackeBayDiscogs
  9. 2016The Best Of Ken BootheTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  10. 2023Essential Artist Collection Trojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  11. —The Great Ken Boothe Meets The Legendary BB Seaton Vol. 2Roots InternationaleBayDiscogs
Dig in

Albums on Breakbeat Archive

Crates are empty… for now.

We're still digging. Check back soon or browse the Artifact Wall.

Build this page

Know something we don't?

Suggest a correction
A link that backs it up gets it through faster.
Credit
Shown on the site as the contributor.
Never shown. Gets you a contributor page.
Linked from your contributor page.

Everything is checked by hand before it goes on the site.

Have a flyer, tape cover or photo of Ken Boothe?
Where you got it, the show, who was there.
JPG, PNG or WebP, at least 400 px, 10 MB max. Scans or straight-on photos.
Credit
Shown on the site as the contributor.
Never shown. Gets you a contributor page.
Linked from your contributor page.

Everything is checked by hand before it goes on the site.

Are you Ken Boothe? Claim this page
We give you a code to paste there, and the page verifies itself when it shows up. Instagram and TikTok can't be checked automatically.

Everything is checked by hand before it goes on the site.

Put this page on your site

Artists, fans and blogs: link this page with the badge or the card. Copy the code and paste it into your site.

Badge

Card

Keep digging

More artists

All artists →
ArtistRhymefestSouth Side, Chicago, IllinoisArtistSwollen MembersVancouver, British ColumbiaArtistBeanie SigelSouth Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaArtistProdigyHempstead, Long Island; Queens, New York

As an eBay Partner, Breakbeat Archive may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Videos embedded from YouTube.