Tommy Cowan
Encyclopedia
Tommy Cowan is a producer
and singer, initially working in reggae
but later concentrating on gospel
, who has been involved in the music business since the 1960s. He is also an ordained Gospel minister.
in 1967, and won the Jamaican Song Festival with the Duke Reid
-produced "Baba Boom", which also topped the Jamaican chart. More hits followed in the form of "Sing Freedom", "Things You Say You Love", and "Woman Go Home", before the group split up.
Cowan then took up a job as Sales & Marketing manager at Byron Lee
's Dynamic Studios, which gave him the experience needed to move into record production, working with artists including Jacob Miller
and Inner Circle, Earl Zero
, Ray I, Leroy Smart
, Ras Michael
, The Cimarons
, Dean Stone, and Junior Tucker
. An album of dubs of Cowan's productions from this era, Ras Claat Dub was issued on the Grounation label. Several other Cowan-produced sets were credited to the Fatman Ridim Section. Cowan also produced Israel Vibration
's The Same Song and Why Worry albums and the latter's associated dub set, Israel Tafari, mixed by King Tubby
. Cowan became Inner Circle's manager and set up the Top Ranking record label. Cowan also worked as a Master of Ceremonies at Reggae Sunsplash
festivals and at the One Love Peace Concert
, organized by Bob Marley
. Cowan helped Marley to set up his Tuff Gong
studio, and Marley invited Cowan to accompany him on his tour of Europe
, and then Zimbabwe
in 1980, where he compered the Zimbabwe Independence Day Concert in Salisbury. Back in Jamaica, Cowan built up his Talent Corporation company, which he had originally founded in 1975, with artists such as John Holt
, Dobby Dobson
, Ruddy Thomas
, Toots Hibbert
, Ernie Smith
, Scotty
, Jack Radics, and Cowan's second wife Carlene Davis
. In 1982, he released an album, The King's Music, credited to Tommy Cowan & Thunder, and featuring musicians such as Willie Lindo, Robbie Lyn, Lloyd Parks
, Bongo Herman
, and Dean Fraser
, with backing vocals from his wife Carlene Davis, and Beres Hammond
.
Previously a Rastafarian, Cowan converted to Christianity
in 1996. In 1998 Tommy, together with his wife Carlene, began Vessel Ministries and today they both operate the Judah Recording Studio and the Glory Music record label, concentrating on Gospel music
. Cowan is also the producer of Jamaica's largest Christian music festival, Fun in the Son.
In 2006, Pressure Sounds
issued a compilation of Cowan's productions, Life Goes In Circles (Sounds From The Talent Corporation 1974 to 1979).
He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from the Trinity Theological Seminary of South Florida
for his work in the Gospel, and he is also ordained as a Gospel minister.
In October 2007, Cowan was awarded the Order of Distinction
(Commander Class) by the Jamaican Government.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and singer, initially working in 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...
but later concentrating on gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, who has been involved in the music business since the 1960s. He is also an ordained Gospel minister.
Biography
Cowan entered the music business in the mid-1960s as a member of The Merricoles, a vocal group who won a local talent contest. The group changed their name to The JamaicansThe Jamaicans
The Jamaicans were a ska/rocksteady trio formed in Jamaica in 1967, consisting of members Tommy Cowan, Norris Weir and Martin Williams.-Career:...
in 1967, and won the Jamaican Song Festival with the Duke Reid
Duke Reid
Treasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
-produced "Baba Boom", which also topped the Jamaican chart. More hits followed in the form of "Sing Freedom", "Things You Say You Love", and "Woman Go Home", before the group split up.
Cowan then took up a job as Sales & Marketing manager at Byron Lee
Byron Lee
Byron Lee OD, OJ was a musician, record producer, and entrepreneur, best known for his work as leader of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.-Biography:Lee was born in Christiana in Manchester Parish to an Afro-Jamaican mother and a Chinese father Byron Lee OD, OJ (born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee, 27...
's Dynamic Studios, which gave him the experience needed to move into record production, working with artists including Jacob Miller
Jacob Miller
Jacob Miller was a Jamaican reggae artist who first recorded with Clement Dodd. While pursuing a prolific solo career, he became the lead singer for reggae group Inner Circle with whom he recorded until his death in a car accident at the age of 27.-Biography:Jacob Miller was born in Mandeville,...
and Inner Circle, Earl Zero
Earl Zero
Earl Anthony Johnson , better known as Earl Zero, is a Jamaican reggae singer whose career began in the 1970s.-History:Born 1953 in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston, Johnson was the eldest of ten children, his father a fisherman and his mother a fishmonger...
, Ray I, 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....
, Ras Michael
Ras Michael
Ras Michael is a Jamaican reggae singer and Nyabinghi specialist. He also performs under the name of Dadawah.-Biography:...
, The Cimarons
The Cimarons
The Cimarons were a UK reggae band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band.-History:Jamaican natives, the Cimarons migrated to Britain in 1967 with a lineup consisting of Franklyn Dunn , Carl Levy , Locksley Gichie , and Maurice Ellis ; vocalist, Winston Reid...
, Dean Stone, and Junior Tucker
Junior Tucker
Leslie Tucker, known as Junior Tucker , is a Jamaican reggae singer, who started his career in secular music, but who now sings Christian reggae...
. An album of dubs of Cowan's productions from this era, Ras Claat Dub was issued on the Grounation label. Several other Cowan-produced sets were credited to the Fatman Ridim Section. Cowan also produced Israel Vibration
Israel Vibration
Israel Vibration is a reggae harmony trio, originating from Kingston, Jamaica. Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence all overcame childhood polio, and went on to be one of the most successful roots groups to form in Jamaica in the late 1970s...
's The Same Song and Why Worry albums and the latter's associated dub set, Israel Tafari, mixed by King Tubby
King Tubby
King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...
. Cowan became Inner Circle's manager and set up the Top Ranking record label. Cowan also worked as a Master of Ceremonies at Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival...
festivals and at the One Love Peace Concert
One Love Peace Concert
The One Love Peace Concert was a large concert held on April 22, 1978 at The National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.This concert was held during a political civil war in Jamaica between opposing parties Jamaican Labour Party and the People's National Party...
, organized by Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. Cowan helped Marley to set up his Tuff Gong
Tuff Gong
Tuff Gong is a record label that was formed by the reggae group The Wailers in 1970 and named after Bob Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari movement, Leonard "The Gong" Howell. The first single on the label was "Run For Cover" by The Wailers...
studio, and Marley invited Cowan to accompany him on his tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and then Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
in 1980, where he compered the Zimbabwe Independence Day Concert in Salisbury. Back in Jamaica, Cowan built up his Talent Corporation company, which he had originally founded in 1975, with artists such as John Holt
John Holt (singer)
John Holt is a reggae singer and songwriter.-Biography:Holt was born in Kingston in 1947. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns...
, Dobby Dobson
Dobby Dobson
Highland "Dobby" Dobson is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer, nicknamed 'The Loving Pauper' after one of his best known songs.-Biography:...
, Ruddy Thomas
Ruddy Thomas
Ruddy Thomas was a Jamaican reggae singer, musician, and recording engineer, who had his greatest successes as a singer in the late 1970s and early 1980s with lovers rock songs.-Biography:...
, Toots Hibbert
Toots Hibbert
Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert is a ska and roots reggae singer and leader of the reggae band Toots & the Maytals.-Biography:...
, Ernie Smith
Ernie Smith (singer)
Ernie Smith is a reggae singer, with a deep baritone voice, who had his greatest success in the late 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:Smith was born in Kingston and raised in St. Ann...
, Scotty
Scotty (musician)
Scotty performed as a reggae vocalist and deejay.-Biography:...
, Jack Radics, and Cowan's second wife Carlene Davis
Carlene Davis
Carlene Davis is a Jamaican gospel and reggae singer active since the 1970s. Successful since the early 1980s as a reggae artist, she survived cancer in the mid-1990s, after which she dedicated her career to gospel music.-Biography:...
. In 1982, he released an album, The King's Music, credited to Tommy Cowan & Thunder, and featuring musicians such as Willie Lindo, Robbie Lyn, Lloyd Parks
Lloyd Parks
Lloyd Parks is a reggae vocalist and bass player.-Biography:Parks' interest in music was fuelled by his uncle Dourie Bryan, who played in a calypso band, and Parks became the band's singer...
, Bongo Herman
Bongo Herman
Herman Davis , better known as Bongo Herman, is a Jamaican hand-drummer, percussionist and singer who has had a successful career stretching back to the early 1960s.-Biography:...
, and 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...
, with backing vocals from his wife Carlene Davis, and Beres Hammond
Beres Hammond
Beres Hammond is a reggae singer known in particular for his romantic lovers rock and soulful voice...
.
Previously a Rastafarian, Cowan converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in 1996. In 1998 Tommy, together with his wife Carlene, began Vessel Ministries and today they both operate the Judah Recording Studio and the Glory Music record label, concentrating on Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Cowan is also the producer of Jamaica's largest Christian music festival, Fun in the Son.
In 2006, Pressure Sounds
Pressure Sounds
Pressure Sounds is a British record label, specializing in releasing reggae music. It is run by Pete Holdsworth although Adrian Sherwood was involved at the inception of the imprint...
issued a compilation of Cowan's productions, Life Goes In Circles (Sounds From The Talent Corporation 1974 to 1979).
Awards
Cowan has received various musical accolades from organisations such as the Jamaica Federation of Musicians, Rockers Awards, the JAMI Awards, and Martin's International Reggae & World Music Awards. He received the Rocksteady Union Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Jamaican music, and both the Mega Jamz Award and Maja awards for Gospel Promoter of the Year in 2007.He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from the Trinity Theological Seminary of South Florida
Florida
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...
for his work in the Gospel, and he is also ordained as a Gospel minister.
In October 2007, Cowan 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"....
(Commander Class) by the Jamaican Government.