Tarrus Riley
Encyclopedia
Tarrus Riley is a Jamaica
n-American reggae
singer, the son of Jimmy Riley
.
. He began his musical career as a deejay
working with Busta Rhymes
, taking his birth sign
as his stage name at his mother's suggestion (the spelling later changed from Taurus to Tarrus), and recorded his first singles for his father's Love & Promotion label.
Despite his father's fame, Riley has credited his mother's influence on his career as much as his father and, along with his initial ambition to be a reggae deejay
rather than singer, credits this factor for his unique singing voice when compared to his father. He was guided in his early career by Dean Fraser
, who also performs in his band and produces much of Riley's work.
Riley has released three albums, Challenges (2004), Parables (2006), and Contagious (2009). Contagious features guest appearances from Damian Marley
, Vybz Kartel
, Etana, Konshens, Demarco and Duane Stephenson. His commercial breakthrough came in 2006 with the Parables album and the Jamaican number one single "She's Royal".
Riley was awarded the Reggae Runnins Caribbean Heritage Award at the 2009 HOT 105 FM Caribbean-American Heritage Awards. He was nominated in the Best Reggae category of the 2009 MOBO Awards
.
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-American 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, the son of Jimmy Riley
Jimmy Riley
Jimmy Riley is a Jamaican singer who in addition to recording solo has also been a member of the Sensations and The Uniques.-Biography:...
.
Biography
Riley is the son of veteran singer Jimmy Riley and nurse Lavern Tatham-Riley. He was born in the Bronx and grew up in South FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He began his musical career as a deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
working with Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, taking his birth sign
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
as his stage name at his mother's suggestion (the spelling later changed from Taurus to Tarrus), and recorded his first singles for his father's Love & Promotion label.
Despite his father's fame, Riley has credited his mother's influence on his career as much as his father and, along with his initial ambition to be a reggae deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
rather than singer, credits this factor for his unique singing voice when compared to his father. He was guided in his early career by Dean Fraser
Dean Fraser
Dean Fraser is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Musgrave Medal by the Jamaican government in 1993 in recognition of his services to music.-Biography:Fraser started to play the clarinet at the age of 12...
, who also performs in his band and produces much of Riley's work.
Riley has released three albums, Challenges (2004), Parables (2006), and Contagious (2009). Contagious features guest appearances from Damian Marley
Damian Marley
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is a Jamaican reggae artist who has won three Grammy awards. Damian is the youngest son of Bob Marley....
, Vybz Kartel
Vybz Kartel
Adidja Palmer , better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall artist, songwriter and businessman. He has many nicknames, including Addi Teacher and Gaza Emperor.-Biography:...
, Etana, Konshens, Demarco and Duane Stephenson. His commercial breakthrough came in 2006 with the Parables album and the Jamaican number one single "She's Royal".
Riley was awarded the Reggae Runnins Caribbean Heritage Award at the 2009 HOT 105 FM Caribbean-American Heritage Awards. He was nominated in the Best Reggae category of the 2009 MOBO Awards
MOBO Awards
The Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
.
Awards & nominations
- 2007 - Jamaica Observer Artiste of the Year
- 2008 - Excellence in Music & Entertainment (EME) Awards - Cultural Artiste of the Year (nominated), Male Vocalist of Year Award, Song of The Year ("She's Royal")
- 2008 - Reggae Academy Awards - Best Reggae Song, Most Popular Song (both for "She's Royal"), Best Solo Male Vocal Performance, Breakthrough Reggae Artiste
- 2009 - Caribbean-American Heritage Awards - Reggae Runnins Caribbean Heritage Award
- 2009 - MOBO AwardsMOBO AwardsThe Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
- Best Reggae (nominated) - 2009 - Soul Train Music AwardsSoul Train Music AwardsThe Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
- Best Reggae Artist (nominated)
Discography
- Challenges (2004), VPVP RecordsVP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:...
- Parables (2006), VPVP RecordsVP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:...
- Contagious (2009), VPVP RecordsVP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:...
External links
- Fan Page
- [ Tarrus Riley] at Allmusic