Toyan
Encyclopedia
Toyan aka Ranking Toyan was a Jamaica
n reggae
deejay
active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings.
's sound systems, such as Socialist Roots and Romantic HiFi. He recorded his debut single, "Disco Pants" in the late 1970s for producer Don Mais. He went on to work extensively with Joseph Hoo Kim
and Jah Thomas
, resulting in a string of hits including "Girls Nowadays", "Kill No Man", "John Tom", and "Talk of the Town", as well as combination hits with The Mighty Diamonds
("Pretty Woman"), Badoo ("Rocking the 5000"), and Freddie McGregor
("Roots Man Skanking"). In 1981 he joined Henry "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano Sound system, and toured Canada
. With Lawes, he recorded the album How the West Was Won, which is regarded as his best work, and went on to produce his own work and that of others such as Billy Boyo
and Anthony Johnson
. He toured the United Kingdom
with the Jah Prophecy band and performed in Jamaica alongside Dennis Brown
.
He was murdered in Jamaica in 1991.
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...
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...
active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings.
Biography
Toyan began his career in 1974, deejaying on 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...
's sound systems, such as Socialist Roots and Romantic HiFi. He recorded his debut single, "Disco Pants" in the late 1970s for producer Don Mais. He went on to work extensively with Joseph Hoo Kim
Joseph Hoo Kim
-Career:Shortly after the Jamaican government banned gaming machines in the early 1970s, Joe Joe Hookim and his brother Ernest, abandoned their jobs as machine operators, and jumped into the music business. By 1973, the Hookims had opened their own studio, Channel One, with Joe Joe as its hands-on...
and Jah Thomas
Jah Thomas
Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.-Biography:...
, resulting in a string of hits including "Girls Nowadays", "Kill No Man", "John Tom", and "Talk of the Town", as well as combination hits with The Mighty Diamonds
The Mighty Diamonds
Mighty Diamonds are a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group, which comprised Donald "Tabby" Shaw, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson, and Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson, was formed in 1969, and remains together as of 2010...
("Pretty Woman"), Badoo ("Rocking the 5000"), and Freddie McGregor
Freddie McGregor
Freddie McGregor has been variously a singer, musician and producer. According to Allmusic he is one of reggae's most durable and soulful singers, with a steady career that started in the 1960s, when he was just seven years old.-Biography:In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to...
("Roots Man Skanking"). In 1981 he joined Henry "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano Sound system, and toured Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. With Lawes, he recorded the album How the West Was Won, which is regarded as his best work, and went on to produce his own work and that of others such as Billy Boyo
Billy Boyo
Billy Boyo was a reggae artist, was probably the most prolific of the early-80’s child MC’s. He is famous for his song "One Spliff a Day".-Biography:...
and Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson (musician)
Roy Anthony Johnson , better known simply as Anthony Johnson, is a Jamaican reggae singer who was a member of the group Mystic I and is known for the 1980s hit song "Gunshot".-Biography:...
. He toured 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...
with the Jah Prophecy band and performed in Jamaica alongside 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...
.
He was murdered in Jamaica in 1991.
Albums
- How The West Was Won (1981) 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....
- Toyan (1982) J&L
- Superstar Yellowman Has Arrived With Toyan (1982) Joe GibbsJoe Gibbs (record producer)Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
(with YellowmanYellowmanYellowman is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, widely known as King Yellowman...
) - DJ Clash (1982) Volcano/Greensleeves (with Nicodemus)
- Spar With Me (1982) Jah Guidance
- Ghetto Man Skank (1983) Silver Camel
- DJ Daddy (1983) Upfront
- Nice Time (1983) Jam Rock/Pre (with Triston Palma)
- Every Posse Want Me (1983) Live & Learn
- Murder (1983) Vista Sounds (with Tipper Lee & Johnny Slaughter)
- Hot Bubble Gum (1984) Power House
- Early Days Roots Tradition