Willi Williams
Encyclopedia
Willi Williams is a Jamaica
n reggae
and dub
musician and producer. He is known as the "Armagideon Man" after his hit, "Armagideon Time", first recorded in 1978 at Studio One in Kingston
. The song was covered by The Clash
as the flipside of their "London Calling
" single.
. He attended Trenchtown
Comprehensive High School, where he was a classmate of Sly Dunbar
. He first recorded at Studio One in the late 1960s, while he was still in school. In 1969 he started his own record label called Soul Sounds and among the artists he recorded was Delroy Wilson
, The Versatiles, and Rhythm Force (a pseudonym for The Wailers). He moved to Canada
in 1974 and split his time between Toronto, Ontario and Kingston.
He worked with keyboardist Jackie Mittoo
and producer Coxsone Dodd
on "Armagideon Time," which was the title track of an album Studio One released in 1980. The song was later covered by The Clash
, featured in the film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
and on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack
(is featured on the Reggae
radio station K-JAH Radio West but not on the soundtrack album). "Armagideon Time" is included on the four CD anthology Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music, which Mango Records released in 1993.
Catalog titles by Williams include Armagideon Time (Heartbeat/Studio One), Thanks and Devotion (Drum Street), Jah Will (Drum Street), Messenger Man (Jet Star/Drum Street), Unity (Drum Street), Thanks & Devotion (Drum Street), See Me (Jah Shaka), Natty With A Cause (Jah Shaka), From Studio One To Drum Street (M10), From Studio One to Drum Street Volume II (Drum Street), and Di Real Rock (Drum Street).
In 2007, the rock band Government Mule adapted and recorded Williams’ composition “Natty With A Cause” as “Rebel With A Cause,” which features Williams’ voice along with that of Government Mule singer Warren Haynes.
, Willi was working on an album with an up-and-coming Toronto artist named Visionary.
The reggae-punk band Sublime
used some lyrics from the song Armagideon Time and took the baseline back to create a dub tune called Sweet Little Rosie.
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...
and dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
musician and producer. He is known as the "Armagideon Man" after his hit, "Armagideon Time", first recorded in 1978 at Studio One in 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...
. The song was covered by 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...
as the flipside of their "London Calling
London Calling (song)
"London Calling" is a song by the British punk rock band The Clash. It was released as a single from the band's 1979 double album London Calling...
" single.
Biography
Williams was born in Saint Ann Parish, JamaicaSaint Ann Parish, Jamaica
Saint Ann is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called 'the Garden Parish of Jamaica' on account of its natural beauty...
. He attended Trenchtown
Trenchtown
Trench Town is a neighborhood located in the parish of St. Andrew which shares municipality with Kingston, the capital and largest city of Jamaica. In the 1960s Trench Town was known as the Hollywood of Jamaica. Today Trench Town boasts the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, a visitor friendly...
Comprehensive High School, where he was a classmate of Sly Dunbar
Sly Dunbar
Lowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
. He first recorded at Studio One in the late 1960s, while he was still in school. In 1969 he started his own record label called Soul Sounds and among the artists he recorded was Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer.-Biography:Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1961 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen...
, The Versatiles, and Rhythm Force (a pseudonym for The Wailers). He moved to 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...
in 1974 and split his time between Toronto, Ontario and Kingston.
He worked with keyboardist Jackie Mittoo
Jackie Mittoo
Jackie Mittoo was a Jamaican keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a founding member of The Skatalites and was a mentor to many younger performers, primarily through his work as musical director for the Studio One record label.-Biography:He was born Donat Roy Mittoo in Browns Town,...
and producer Coxsone Dodd
Coxsone Dodd
Clement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, CD was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond...
on "Armagideon Time," which was the title track of an album Studio One released in 1980. The song was later covered by 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...
, featured in the film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a 1999 American crime action film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Forest Whitaker stars as the title character, the mysterious "Ghost Dog", a hitman in the employ of the Mafia, who follows the ancient code of the samurai as outlined in the book of Yamamoto...
and on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack
The soundtrack of the computer and video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is set in 1992 in the fictional U.S. West Coast state of San Andreas, required that the game's radio stations reflect the music tastes of the time and area, in addition to covering current events in the state of San...
(is featured on the 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...
radio station K-JAH Radio West but not on the soundtrack album). "Armagideon Time" is included on the four CD anthology Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music, which Mango Records released in 1993.
Catalog titles by Williams include Armagideon Time (Heartbeat/Studio One), Thanks and Devotion (Drum Street), Jah Will (Drum Street), Messenger Man (Jet Star/Drum Street), Unity (Drum Street), Thanks & Devotion (Drum Street), See Me (Jah Shaka), Natty With A Cause (Jah Shaka), From Studio One To Drum Street (M10), From Studio One to Drum Street Volume II (Drum Street), and Di Real Rock (Drum Street).
In 2007, the rock band Government Mule adapted and recorded Williams’ composition “Natty With A Cause” as “Rebel With A Cause,” which features Williams’ voice along with that of Government Mule singer Warren Haynes.
, Willi was working on an album with an up-and-coming Toronto artist named Visionary.
The reggae-punk band Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
used some lyrics from the song Armagideon Time and took the baseline back to create a dub tune called Sweet Little Rosie.
Album Discography
- "Armagideon Time" (1978, Coxsone)
- "Messenger Man" (1980, Drum Street)
- "Unity" (1987, Black Star)
- "Natty With A Cause" (1992, Jah Shaka)
- "See Me" (1994, Jah Shaka)
- "Jah Will" (1995, Drum Street)
- "Thanks & Devotion" (1999, Drum Street)
- "Full Time Love" (2002, Drum Street)