Everton Blender
Encyclopedia
Everton Blender Everton Dennis Williams, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is an award-winning reggae
singer and producer, known for his smooth, crooning, tenor vocals, up-tempo arrangements, and spiritually uplifting themes, successfully bridging the gap between roots reggae
and dancehall
.
.
Williams began his career singing in an amateur talent contest in the late 1970s at Kingston's Bohemia Club, singing Dennis Brown
songs under the name "Babbaru". He won the contest at the second attempt. He performed with the Destiny Outernational, Master Voice and Santex sound systems, and released several singles, including "Where Is Love" in 1979 and "Ba Ba Black Sheep" in 1985. He failed to achieve commercial success, however, and he withdrew from the music business, returning to his trade as a house painter.
Blender returned to music in the early 1990s when Garnett Silk, who had also worked with Destiny, introduced him to record producer Richard Bell
, who signed him to his Star Trail label. This time around, Blender achieved success straight away, with "We No Jus' a Come," becoming a hit in Jamaica. Blender's success spread to the United Kingdom
where his first album, Lift Up Your Head, reached number four on the Black Echoes
music chart. The title track from the album was nominated for a Jamaican Music Award. Further albums and singles followed, with his early singles from the second phase of his career collected on the album A Piece of da Blender: The Singles, released in 1996.
Blender was one of the most prominent singers in the 1990s return to 'cultural' reggae, along with the likes of Garnett Silk and Luciano
.
He has released several albums on Heartbeat Records
and also set up his own Blend Dem Productions label, working with artists such as President Brown, Admiral Tibet
, Louie Culture, Jah Mason
, Spanner Banner, Richie Spice
, and Anthony B
, as well as producing his own recordings.
Blender once described his songwriting process: "Well we just meditate, and a vibe just come to us, or we just sit in and bring tune from scratch without melodies or anything, and melodies come to you later". Blender has rejected the slack
lyrics that have become common in reggae, stating "If the
people tell you that them want rubbish, you know say them nuff fi get rubbish. Them fi get good things fi keep them internal and external clean. Never to fail, always righteousness.
That's what we're working for".
Blender has toured worldwide. He toured Africa
in 1999 to enthusiastic audiences, of which he said "they need to know about their culture ... some people like to come out and see Jamaican culture".
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 and producer, known for his smooth, crooning, tenor vocals, up-tempo arrangements, and spiritually uplifting themes, successfully bridging the gap between roots reggae
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
.
Biography
Williams was born in Clarendon parish but grew up on Maxfield Avenue, KingstonKingston, 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...
.
Williams began his career singing in an amateur talent contest in the late 1970s at Kingston's Bohemia Club, singing Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown 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 sub-genre of reggae...
songs under the name "Babbaru". He won the contest at the second attempt. He performed with the Destiny Outernational, Master Voice and Santex sound systems, and released several singles, including "Where Is Love" in 1979 and "Ba Ba Black Sheep" in 1985. He failed to achieve commercial success, however, and he withdrew from the music business, returning to his trade as a house painter.
Blender returned to music in the early 1990s when Garnett Silk, who had also worked with Destiny, introduced him to record producer Richard Bell
Richard Bell (record producer)
Richard "Bello" Bell is a Jamaican record producer and label-owner who launched the Star Trail label in around 1989 along with Garnet Dalley. He began by producing artists such as Beres Hammond and Hugh Griffith, but had his greatest successes in 1992 with Garnett Silk's "Hello Africa", Yami Bolo's...
, who signed him to his Star Trail label. This time around, Blender achieved success straight away, with "We No Jus' a Come," becoming a hit in Jamaica. Blender's success spread to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where his first album, Lift Up Your Head, reached number four on the Black Echoes
Black Echoes
Black Echoes is a Jamaican music show which has been broadcasting on radio in Dublin, Ireland. The show airs a range of music, including reggae, ska, rock-steady and dub. The show is presented by John Public, and produced by Miss Pat alongside Broadcast Assistant Denzil Lacey The show broadcasts on...
music chart. The title track from the album was nominated for a Jamaican Music Award. Further albums and singles followed, with his early singles from the second phase of his career collected on the album A Piece of da Blender: The Singles, released in 1996.
Blender was one of the most prominent singers in the 1990s return to 'cultural' reggae, along with the likes of Garnett Silk and Luciano
Luciano (singer)
Luciano is a Jamaican second generation roots reggae artist and poet....
.
He has released several albums on Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington , Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood...
and also set up his own Blend Dem Productions label, working with artists such as President Brown, Admiral Tibet
Admiral Tibet
Admiral Tibet , also known as "Mr. Reality" is a Jamaican dancehall singer known for his "cultural" lyrics.-Biography:...
, Louie Culture, Jah Mason
Jah Mason
Andre Johnson , better known by his stage name Jah Mason, also known as Iron Mason and Fire Mason, is a reggae singer/deejay from Jamaica, active as a recording artist since 1991.-Biography:...
, Spanner Banner, Richie Spice
Richie Spice
Richie Spice is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is a member of the Rastafari movement. Some of his most famous songs include, "Youth Dem Cold", "Groovin' My Girl", "Earth A Run Red", "Marijuana" and "The Plane Land"...
, and Anthony B
Anthony B
Anthony B is the stage name of Keith Blair , a Jamaican musician and member of the Rastafari movement....
, as well as producing his own recordings.
Blender once described his songwriting process: "Well we just meditate, and a vibe just come to us, or we just sit in and bring tune from scratch without melodies or anything, and melodies come to you later". Blender has rejected the slack
Slackness
Slackness refers to vulgarity in West Indian culture, behavior and the music. It also refers to a subgenre of dancehall music with straightforward sexual lyrics performed live or recorded. Its form and pronunciation varies throughout the Caribbean....
lyrics that have become common in reggae, stating "If the
people tell you that them want rubbish, you know say them nuff fi get rubbish. Them fi get good things fi keep them internal and external clean. Never to fail, always righteousness.
That's what we're working for".
Blender has toured worldwide. He toured Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
in 1999 to enthusiastic audiences, of which he said "they need to know about their culture ... some people like to come out and see Jamaican culture".
Awards
Blender received the Chicago Martins International award, and South Florida Reggae/Soca awards in 1996 and 1997 in the "Most Improved Entertainer" category.Album discography
- Lift Up Your Head (1994) Star Trail/HeartbeatHeartbeat RecordsHeartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington , Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood...
- Blend Dem (1995) Malako
- Piece of da Blender: The Singles (1996) Heartbeat
- Where Do The Children (1997) Heartbeat
- Rootsman Credential (1999) Heartbeat
- Live at the White River Reggae Bash (2000) RounderRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
- World Corruption (2000) 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....
- Visionary (2001) Heartbeat
- King Man (2003) Heartbeat/Blend Dem
- It's My Time (2005) Explorer
- Live in Berkely (2007) 2B1 (DVD)
- Red Razor Riddim (2007) Zion High/Lustre Kings