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U-Roy

U-Roy (Ewart Beckford, 1942–2021): Jamaican deejay whose 1970 Duke Reid singles “Wake the Town”, “Rule the Nation” and “Wear You to the Ball” held the top three chart spots at once.

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Sound systems

Ewart Beckford was born in Jones Town, Kingston, in 1942. He began deejaying in 1961 on Dickie Wong's sound system and later worked for Sir George the Atomic, Sir Coxsone's Downbeat (running the number two set while King Stitt ran the main one) and King Tubby's Hometown Hi-Fi. At Tubby's, the engineer cut dubplates that dropped the vocal from rocksteady records, leaving space for U-Roy to toast live over the rhythm.

Duke Reid and the 1970 hits

His first singles were "Dynamic Fashion Way" for Keith Hudson and "Earth's Rightful Ruler" for Lee Perry in 1969. On John Holt's recommendation, producer Arthur "Duke" Reid had him toast over Treasure Isle rocksteady records, including The Paragons' "Wear You to the Ball" and "On the Beach." "Wake the Town," "Rule the Nation" and "Wear You to the Ball" held the top three places on both Jamaican charts at the same time in 1970. The success made the deejay record a commercial genre in Jamaica.

Virgin and Stur-Gav

U-Roy signed to Virgin in the mid 1970s. Dread in a Babylon (1975), produced by Tony Robinson, sold well in the UK and was followed by Natty Rebel (1976), Rasta Ambassador (1977) and Jah Son of Africa (1978). In 1978 he started his own sound system, Stur-Gav, where younger deejays including Ranking Joe and Josey Wales developed.

Toasting and hip hop

The line runs from Count Machuki and King Stitt on Coxsone's system to U-Roy, who put toasting on record. Clive Campbell, later DJ Kool Herc, grew up in Kingston around this sound-system culture before moving to the Bronx in 1967. When Herc began his parties there in the early 1970s, he used a large sound system and talked over the breaks, and he has credited Jamaican sound-system practice as part of hip hop's foundation. U-Roy received Jamaica's Order of Distinction in 2007 and died in Kingston on 17 February 2021, aged 78.

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Wake the Town
Wake the TownU-Roy - Topic
Rule The Nation
Rule The NationU-Roy - Topic
Wear You To The Ball
Wear You To The BallU-Roy - Topic
Natty Rebel
Natty RebelU-Roy - Topic
Chalice In The Palace
Chalice In The PalaceU-Roy - Topic
Every record

Discography

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

Studio albums 26

  1. 1974U. RoyAttackeBayDiscogs
  2. 1975Dread In A BabylonTR InternationaleBayDiscogs
  3. 1976Dread In A AfricaHiteBayDiscogs
  4. 1976African RootsCelluloideBayDiscogs
  5. 1976Natty RebelVirgineBayDiscogs
  6. 1977Rasta AmbassadorVirgineBayDiscogs
  7. 1978Jah Son Of AfricaFront LineeBayDiscogs
  8. 1980Love Is Not A GambleState LineeBayDiscogs
  9. 1986Line Up And ComeTappa RecordseBayDiscogs
  10. 1987The Seven GoldUjamaeBayDiscogs
  11. 1991Three From The FrontlineVirgineBayDiscogs
  12. 1991True Born AfricanAriwaeBayDiscogs
  13. 1992Smile A WhileAriwaeBayDiscogs
  14. 1994Natty Rebel / Rasta AmbassadorVirgin France S.A.eBayDiscogs
  15. 1996Babylon Kingdom Must FallAriwaeBayDiscogs
  16. 1999Serious MatterTabou 1eBayDiscogs
  17. 2000Serious Matter DubWalboomerseBayDiscogs
  18. 2001NowTabou 1eBayDiscogs
  19. 2003Rebel In StyylleMediacomeBayDiscogs
  20. 2006Old School / New RulesAriwaeBayDiscogs
  21. 2012Pray Fi Di PeopleSoulbeats RecordseBayDiscogs
  22. 2018Talking RootsAriwaeBayDiscogs
  23. 2021Creation Rebel: Rare Sides By The Reggae OriginatorSound System (2)eBayDiscogs
  24. 2021Solid GoldTrojan JamaicaeBayDiscogs
  25. 2022Live In ConcertGlobal Beats (3)eBayDiscogs
  26. 2026Feel Jah Spirit: U-Roy Meets The AggrovatorsSound SystemeBayDiscogs

Collaborative albums 8

  1. 1971Version GaloreHugh Roy* · Treasure IsleeBayDiscogs
  2. 1977Dubbing To The King In A Higher RankU-Roy At The Control* · King AttarneyeBayDiscogs
  3. 1985Ghostbusters, Long Live The King / Everybody Get ReadyEarly B, Captain Sinbad / U-Roy · Black SolidarityeBayDiscogs
  4. 2006Love Trio In DubLove Trio In Dub Featuring U-Roy · Nublu RecordseBayDiscogs
  5. 2008The Dark MixesLove Trio Featuring U-Roy · Nublu RecordseBayDiscogs
  6. 2014Feel It / Zylene StrutU-Roy Feat. Anla Samuels, Dizzy Minott · InterrogatoreBayDiscogs
  7. 2015Dub Is All I Got (Remix Clash) - Tribute To Style ScottDub Syndicate ft. U-Roy · Echo Beach, Echo BeacheBayDiscogs
  8. 2020My Cup Runneth OverThe Wailers Featuring U-Roy · Tsosume RecordseBayDiscogs

Compilations 17

  1. 1983Crucial CutsVirgineBayDiscogs
  2. 1990The OriginatorJusticeeBayDiscogs
  3. 1990Version Of WisdomFront LineeBayDiscogs
  4. 1990Reggae - Three From The FrontlineCaroline RecordseBayDiscogs
  5. 1991Natty Rebel - Extra VersionFront LineeBayDiscogs
  6. 1992Super BossLagooneBayDiscogs
  7. 1992The Teacher Meets The StudentSonic SoundseBayDiscogs
  8. 1995Original DJCaroline RecordseBayDiscogs
  9. 1995Flashing My WhipRhino RecordseBayDiscogs
  10. 1995U-Roy And Friends: Your Ace From SpaceTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  11. 1999Wake The TownRhino RecordseBayDiscogs
  12. 2001The Rightful RulerSnapper MusiceBayDiscogs
  13. 2001Super Boss - The Best Of U-RoyNascenteeBayDiscogs
  14. 2005U-Roy Meets King TubbysAttackeBayDiscogs
  15. 2009I Am The OriginatorKingston SoundseBayDiscogs
  16. 2009Foundation Skank 1971-1975 Rare Sides By The DJ OriginatorSound SystemeBayDiscogs
  17. —Hold On RastaAbrahameBayDiscogs
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