Bushman (reggae singer)
Encyclopedia
Bushman is a Jamaica
n reggae
singer. He was raised in the Rastafari
culture from a young age.
, Jamaica
in 1973, he was raised as a Rastafarian. He attended the Lysson All Age School, where his music teacher noticed his potential for music and nurtured him in his developing stages. Dwight then went on to Yallas High School where he continued to shine musically as a member of the school choir, a member of the Yallas drum core, playing the bass organ, also participating in numerous school concerts. He was also a member of the New Testament Church of God Choir, where he earned the name Ark Angel.
As a teenager he worked as a selector under the name Junior Melody (sometimes Junior Buckley) for the Black Star Line sound-system, and took part in several singing competitions and talent searches in and around St. Thomas. Gaining a strong local fan base Junior Melody began to sing dub plates for local sound-systems such as Lee's Unlimited, Mello Construction, King Majesty and others. The rave reviews from the sound selectors and the people of his community encouraged Junior Melody to take his talent to the next level, the studios of Kingston
.
He hitch-hiked to Kingston
, and during an impromptu game of football at Arrows Dub plate studio he met Steely & Clevie
. After telling them that he was a singer, they invited him to Studio 2000, where he recorded his first tracks. Their first song together was "Grow Your Natty", which was followed by the hit "Call The Hearse". With talks of an album Steely wished to change the name Junior Melody to Bushman. Initially Duncan was unhappy with this name, he thought it somehow derogatory to him coming from the country, until he researched the name only to discover that 'Bushman' was an African name for 'Medicine Man'. "Call The Hearse" became a big hit in Jamaica, and was followed by "Rude Boy Life" and his debut album, Nyah Man Chant (1997). Nyah Man Chant was described in The Rough Guide to Reggae as "as good an example of modern cultural singing as you could hope to find."
Bushman them moved on to work with King Jammy
, who produced his next two albums - Total Commitment, which collected most of the early singles he recorded for the producer, and Higher Ground. A Better Place was the fourth album from Bushman. For this album Bushman teamed up with the UK-based Stingray team.
Despite the ever-increasing recognition of his talent Bushman remains a humble, down to earth figure, who still lives in St. Thomas with his wife and children, follows a strict ital
diet, and bathes in the hot water springs of St. Thomas.
Compilations:
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer. He was raised in the Rastafari
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
culture from a young age.
Biography
Born Dwight Duncan in Prospect Beach, St. ThomasSaint Thomas Parish, Jamaica
Saint Thomas is a suburban parish that is situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, in the county of Surrey. It is the birth place of The right Honorable Paul Bogle, one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1973, he was raised as a Rastafarian. He attended the Lysson All Age School, where his music teacher noticed his potential for music and nurtured him in his developing stages. Dwight then went on to Yallas High School where he continued to shine musically as a member of the school choir, a member of the Yallas drum core, playing the bass organ, also participating in numerous school concerts. He was also a member of the New Testament Church of God Choir, where he earned the name Ark Angel.
As a teenager he worked as a selector under the name Junior Melody (sometimes Junior Buckley) for the Black Star Line sound-system, and took part in several singing competitions and talent searches in and around St. Thomas. Gaining a strong local fan base Junior Melody began to sing dub plates for local sound-systems such as Lee's Unlimited, Mello Construction, King Majesty and others. The rave reviews from the sound selectors and the people of his community encouraged Junior Melody to take his talent to the next level, the studios of Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
.
He hitch-hiked to Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, and during an impromptu game of football at Arrows Dub plate studio he met Steely & Clevie
Steely & Clevie
Steely & Clevie, aka Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae production duo. It worked with artists such as the Specials, Gregory Peck , Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and No Doubt....
. After telling them that he was a singer, they invited him to Studio 2000, where he recorded his first tracks. Their first song together was "Grow Your Natty", which was followed by the hit "Call The Hearse". With talks of an album Steely wished to change the name Junior Melody to Bushman. Initially Duncan was unhappy with this name, he thought it somehow derogatory to him coming from the country, until he researched the name only to discover that 'Bushman' was an African name for 'Medicine Man'. "Call The Hearse" became a big hit in Jamaica, and was followed by "Rude Boy Life" and his debut album, Nyah Man Chant (1997). Nyah Man Chant was described in The Rough Guide to Reggae as "as good an example of modern cultural singing as you could hope to find."
Bushman them moved on to work with King Jammy
King Jammy
Lloyd James , better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub master at King Tubby's recording studio...
, who produced his next two albums - Total Commitment, which collected most of the early singles he recorded for the producer, and Higher Ground. A Better Place was the fourth album from Bushman. For this album Bushman teamed up with the UK-based Stingray team.
Despite the ever-increasing recognition of his talent Bushman remains a humble, down to earth figure, who still lives in St. Thomas with his wife and children, follows a strict ital
Ital
Ital or I-tal is food often celebrated by those in the Rastafari movement. The word derives from the English word "vital", with the initial syllable replaced by i. This is done to many words in the Rastafari vocabulary to signify the unity of the speaker with all of nature...
diet, and bathes in the hot water springs of St. Thomas.
Discography
- Nyah Man ChantNyah Man ChantNyah Man Chant is the debut album from Jamaican roots reggae singer Bushman. It was released in 1997 by Greensleeves Records in the United Kingdom and by VP Records in the United States. Bushman had hitch-hiked seventy miles to Kingston in the hope of furthering his career...
(1997), GreensleevesGreensleeves RecordsGreensleeves Records & Publishing is a record label specialising in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick and started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975 and is based in Britain....
/VPVP RecordsVP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:... - Total Commitment (2000), Greensleeves
- A Better Place (2001), Artists Only - reissued as My Meditation (2003), Charm
- Higher Ground (2001), Greensleeves
- Toe 2 Toe vol. 4 (2002), Charm - with LucianoLuciano (singer)Luciano is a Jamaican second generation roots reggae artist and poet....
- Signs (2004), VP
- Get it in Your Mind (2008), Burning Bushes
- Bushman Sings The Bush Doctor (2011), VP
Compilations:
- Most Wanted (2009), Greensleeves