Ken Boothe
Encyclopedia
Ken Boothe OD
(born 22 March 1948, Denham Town, Kingston
, Jamaica
) is a Jamaican recording artist
.
as 'Stranger & Ken', the first tracks released by them being "Hush Baby" on the B-side of Cole's Island Records
single "Last Love", and the "Thick in Love" single on R&B Records, both in 1963. They released several more popular singles between 1963 and 1965, including "World's Fair", "Hush", and "Artibella". Boothe also recorded as a duo with Roy Shirley
(as Roy & Ken), releasing the "Paradise" single in 1966.
His first solo tracks were recorded in 1966 after Clement "Coxsone" Dodd had signed him to the Studio One Label. He also recorded material for Phil Pratt
and Sonia Pottinger
the same year. He had almost immediate success with songs like "The Train Is Coming" (on which he was backed by The Wailers) and "Lonely Teardrops" and by the following year, Boothe and Alton Ellis
had a successful UK
tour with the Studio One session group, The Soul Vendors. Boothe was promoted as "Mr. Rock Steady
" by Dodd during this period. Boothe continued to record for Dodd until 1970, when he switched to Leslie Kong
's Beverley's Records, where his success continued with hits such as "Freedom Street" and "Why baby Why".
Following Kong's death, Boothe recorded for many of Jamaica's top producers during the early 1970s, including Keith Hudson
, Herman Chin Loy
, Vincent "Randy" Chin
, and Phil Pratt. He then formed the group Conscious Minds with B.B. Seaton
.
Then under a new direction from record producer Lloyd Charmers
, Boothe released "Everything I Own
" on Trojan Records
, which reached Number One in the UK Singles charts in 1974. The song, written by David Gates
, was given a sympathetic light reggae
feel and it received airplay and an appreciative audience in the West Indies
and was regularly played on the radio stations of the UK due to its "crossover" appeal. David Gates
' own group, Bread
, had had a minor UK hit with the song in the Spring of 1972, but it had only reached Number 32.
An unusual fact about Boothe's cover version
is that he sings 'Anything I Own', rather than 'Everything I Own' throughout, meaning that the title of the record
is never sung. There have been other examples of this at Number One in the UK Singles Chart
, such as "Bohemian Rhapsody
"; "Unchained Melody
"; "Annie's Song
"; "The Chicken Song
"; and "Space Oddity"; but Boothe's record is the only one on which the title should have been sung, but was not by mistake.
Boothe only managed one more hit in the UK Chart during the 1970s, "Crying Over You", which made Number 11, with Trojan Records' collapse and a split with Charmers losing much of the momentum built up by his two hits.
In 1978, along with Dillinger
and Leroy Smart
, Boothe was referenced
by lyricist
Joe Strummer
in The Clash
's track, "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
".
Boothe reunited with Charmers in the late 1970s when a revived Trojan Records released the albums Blood Brothers (first issued on LTD in 1976) and Who Get's Your Love, but the reunion proved to be short-lived. He continued to record during the 1980s and had a few hits during 1986 and 1987.
In 1987, Boy George
released a version of "Everything I Own" which charted or reached Number One in many countries. His rendition owed far more in styling to Boothe's version than the original by Bread. This sparked renewed interest in Boothe's version, which was reissued the same year, reaching number 88 in the UK.
In more recent times, Boothe has recorded for Bunny Lee
, Phil Pratt
, King Jammy
, Pete Weston, Jack Ruby
, Hugh "Red Man" James, Castro Brown and Tappa Zukie. Plus in 1995, he teamed up with Shaggy, for a new styled version of his old self penned track, "The Train Is Coming", which appeared on the soundtrack
of the film, Money Train
.
A double-disc overview of Boothe's Trojan
years, Crying Over You, was released by the record label
in 2001.
Boothe was awarded the Order of Distinction
for his contribution to Jamaican music by the Jamaican government in 2003.
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
(born 22 March 1948, Denham Town, 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...
, 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...
) is a Jamaican recording artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Biography
Ken Boothe was born in the Denham Town area of Kingston in 1948, the youngest of seven children, and began singing in school. His recording career began in the late 1950s when he formed a duo with his neighbour Stranger ColeStranger Cole
Stranger Cole, also known as StrangeJah Cole is a Jamaican singer whose long recording career dates from the early days of ska in 1962 through to the 2000s.-Biography:...
as 'Stranger & Ken', the first tracks released by them being "Hush Baby" on the B-side of Cole's Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
single "Last Love", and the "Thick in Love" single on R&B Records, both in 1963. They released several more popular singles between 1963 and 1965, including "World's Fair", "Hush", and "Artibella". Boothe also recorded as a duo with Roy Shirley
Roy Shirley
Roy Shirley also known as King Roy Shirley and The High Priest was a Jamaican singer whose career spanned the ska, rocksteady and reggae eras, and whose "Hold Them" is regarded by some as the first ever rocksteady song...
(as Roy & Ken), releasing the "Paradise" single in 1966.
His first solo tracks were recorded in 1966 after Clement "Coxsone" Dodd had signed him to the Studio One Label. He also recorded material for Phil Pratt
Phil Pratt
Phil Pratt, born George Phillips is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.Phil Pratt worked at Studio One for Coxsone Dodd as a box-loader during the rocksteady period when Lee Perry was operating there, before moving to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s...
and Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD was a Jamaican reggae record producer.The most important Jamaican woman involved in music business, Sonia Pottinger was the first female Jamaican record producer and produced artists from the mid 1960s until the mid 1980s.Married to music producer Lyndon Pottinger, she...
the same year. He had almost immediate success with songs like "The Train Is Coming" (on which he was backed by The Wailers) and "Lonely Teardrops" and by the following year, Boothe and Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis
Alton Nehemiah Ellis, OD, was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.-Biography:Ellis was born in 1938 and...
had a successful UK
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...
tour with the Studio One session group, The Soul Vendors. Boothe was promoted as "Mr. Rock Steady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
" by Dodd during this period. Boothe continued to record for Dodd until 1970, when he switched to Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong was a Chinese Jamaican record producer.-Career:Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston...
's Beverley's Records, where his success continued with hits such as "Freedom Street" and "Why baby Why".
Following Kong's death, Boothe recorded for many of Jamaica's top producers during the early 1970s, including Keith Hudson
Keith Hudson
Keith Hudson aka the "Dark Prince of Reggae" , was a Jamaican reggae artist and record producer.He is known for his influence on the Dub movement.- Biography :...
, Herman Chin Loy
Herman Chin Loy
Herman Chin Loy is a Jamaican record producer, best known for his productions from the late 1960s and early 1970s of artists such as Augustus Pablo, Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis and Bruce Ruffin, and for the Aquarius and Scorpio labels that he ran. He is a Chinese Jamaican.-Biography:When Lloyd A...
, Vincent "Randy" Chin
Vincent "Randy" Chin
Vincent "Randy" Chin was a Jamaican record producer and label owner who ran the Randy's shop, recording studio, and record label, later moving to New York City and setting up the VP Records empire, now the world's largest independent label and distributor of Caribbean music in the...
, and Phil Pratt. He then formed the group Conscious Minds with B.B. Seaton
B.B. Seaton
Harris Lloyd "B.B." Seaton , also known as "Bibby" is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer who was a member of The Gaylads, The Astronauts, Conscious Minds, and The Messengers , and who has had a long solo career which dates back to 1960.-Biography:Seaton first recorded as a solo...
.
Then under a new direction from record producer Lloyd Charmers
Lloyd Charmers
Lloyd Charmers is a ska and reggae singer, keyboard player and record producer.-Career:...
, Boothe released "Everything I Own
Everything I Own
"Everything I Own" is a song written by David Gates. Originally recorded by Gates's band Bread for their 1972 album Baby, I'm a Want You, the single was recorded by The Connells, Jack Jones, Ken Boothe, Olivia Newton-John, Georgie Fame, Boy George, *NSYNC, Jude, Rod Stewart, Crystal Gayle, Nicole...
" on Trojan Records
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
, which reached Number One in the UK Singles charts in 1974. The song, written by David Gates
David Gates
David Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
, was given a sympathetic light 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...
feel and it received airplay and an appreciative audience in the West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and was regularly played on the radio stations of the UK due to its "crossover" appeal. David Gates
David Gates
David Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
' own group, Bread
Bread (band)
Bread was a rock band from Los Angeles, California. They placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977 and were a prime example of what later was labeled soft rock....
, had had a minor UK hit with the song in the Spring of 1972, but it had only reached Number 32.
An unusual fact about Boothe's cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
is that he sings 'Anything I Own', rather than 'Everything I Own' throughout, meaning that the title of the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
is never sung. There have been other examples of this at Number One in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, such as "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
"; "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
"; "Annie's Song
Annie's Song
"Annie's Song" is a rock/country song recorded and written by singer-songwriter John Denver. It was his second number-one song in the United States, occupying that spot for two weeks in July 1974. "Annie's Song" also went to number one on the Easy Listening chart...
"; "The Chicken Song
The Chicken Song
-12" vinyl:-Chart performance:...
"; and "Space Oddity"; but Boothe's record is the only one on which the title should have been sung, but was not by mistake.
Boothe only managed one more hit in the UK Chart during the 1970s, "Crying Over You", which made Number 11, with Trojan Records' collapse and a split with Charmers losing much of the momentum built up by his two hits.
In 1978, along with Dillinger
Dillinger (musician)
Dillinger is a reggae artist.-Biography:As a young man growing up in Kingston, Dillinger would hang around Dennis Alcapone's El Paso sound system...
and Leroy Smart
Leroy Smart
-Biography:Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned aged 2. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home and educated at Alpha Boys School, where he studied singing, drums and dancing....
, Boothe was referenced
Name-dropping
Name-dropping is the practice of mentioning important people or institutions within a conversation, story, song, online identity, or other communication. The term often connotes an attempt to impress others; it is usually regarded negatively, and under certain circumstances may constitute a breach...
by lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
in The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's track, "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
" In Hammersmith Palais" is a song by The Clash, self produced and first released as a 7" single, backed with the track "The Prisoner", in June 1978....
".
Boothe reunited with Charmers in the late 1970s when a revived Trojan Records released the albums Blood Brothers (first issued on LTD in 1976) and Who Get's Your Love, but the reunion proved to be short-lived. He continued to record during the 1980s and had a few hits during 1986 and 1987.
In 1987, Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
released a version of "Everything I Own" which charted or reached Number One in many countries. His rendition owed far more in styling to Boothe's version than the original by Bread. This sparked renewed interest in Boothe's version, which was reissued the same year, reaching number 88 in the UK.
In more recent times, Boothe has recorded for Bunny Lee
Bunny Lee
Edward O'Sullivan Lee, better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee is a prominent, prolific and successful record producer best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
, Phil Pratt
Phil Pratt
Phil Pratt, born George Phillips is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.Phil Pratt worked at Studio One for Coxsone Dodd as a box-loader during the rocksteady period when Lee Perry was operating there, before moving to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s...
, 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...
, Pete Weston, Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby (record producer)
Lawrence Lindo , better known as Jack Ruby, was a Jamaican record producer and sound system operator, best known for his 1970s productions of artists such as Burning Spear....
, Hugh "Red Man" James, Castro Brown and Tappa Zukie. Plus in 1995, he teamed up with Shaggy, for a new styled version of his old self penned track, "The Train Is Coming", which appeared on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the film, Money Train
Money Train
Money Train is a 1995 American comedy thriller film starring Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson and Jennifer Lopez as New York City transit cops...
.
A double-disc overview of Boothe's Trojan
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
years, Crying Over You, was released by the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in 2001.
Boothe was awarded the Order of Distinction
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
for his contribution to Jamaican music by the Jamaican government in 2003.
Albums
- Mr. Rock Steady (1968), Studio One
- More of Ken Boothe (1968), Studio One
- Freedom Street (1970), Beverley's
- The Great Ken Boothe Meets B.B. Seaton and The Gaylads (1971), Jaguar
- Boothe Unlimited (1972), Federal
- Black Gold and Green (1972), TrojanTrojan RecordsTrojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
- Everything I Own (1974), Trojan
- Let's Get It On (1974), Trojan
- Blood Brothers (1976), LTD
- Live Good (1978), United ArtistsUnited ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
- Disco Reggae (1978), Phil Pratt
- Who Gets Your Love (1979), Trojan
- I'm Just a Man (1979), Bunny Lee - also released as Memories
- Showcase (1978), Sonic Sounds
- Reggae For Lovers (1979), Generation
- Got To Get Away Showcase (197?), Phil Pratt
- Imagine (1986), Park Heights
- Don't You Know (1987), Tappa
- 2 of a Kind (1987), Tuff Gong - split with Tyrone Taylor
- Talk to Me - (1989)
- Power of Love (1993)
- Natural Feeling (1995), Jamaica Authentic
- Acclaimed (1996)
- Love is the Ultimate (2003), Upstairs Music
Compilation albums
- A Man and His Hits (1974), Studio One
- "Mr" Boothe (Everything I Own) (197?), Wildflower
- Rock on Love (1995), Jamaican Classics
- Sings Hits From Studio 1 & More (1997), Rhino
- Groove To The Beat (1999), Jamaican Gold
- Crying Over You (2001)
- You're No Good (2006), Attack
- Crying Over You (2000), Trojan