Horace Andy
b. Horace Hinds
1951
Kingston, Jamaica
Although he has one of the most distinctive voices in reggae music, Horace Andy, despite considerable exposure in the early '90s as a guest vocalist with British trip-hoppers Massive Attack, is venerated primarily by hardcore reggae aficionados. And while he's not as well-known as other talented Jamaican vocalists such as Winston (Burning Spear) Rodney, Culture's Joseph Hill, or Toots Hibbert, he is worthy of inclusion in the pantheon.
Born Horace Hinds in Kingston, Jamaica in 1951, Andy came on the reggae scene as part of the second generation of great singers who were following in the footsteps of seminal reggae vocalists such as Ken Boothe, John Holt, and Delroy Wilson. What separated Andy from that group and virtually all Jamaican male vocalists of the early '70s (a notable exception being Junior Murvin) was his clear, powerful, high tenor voice. With the ability to shift from sultry croon to full-throated wail (not unlike, say, Al Green), as well as his delicately impeccable phrasing, Andy could be positively stunning. By the age of 21 he was already a music-scene veteran, having cut the hit records "Skylarking," "The Love of a Woman," and "I Found Someone" among others. In the early '70s he was one of the most in-demand vocalists on the island, recording great sides for Bunny Lee; the relationship that would last for nearly the rest of the decade and account for some of Andy's best recorded work.
After leaving Bunny Lee, Andy went to work with New York producer Everton DaSilva. Unlike Lee, who tended to be a tad autocratic when it came to recording, DaSilva gave Andy the latitude needed to craft his own records. It was a great idea, leading to the recording of Andy's signature work, In the Light (with a companion dub LP) in 1977. Andy's vocals seemed to soar higher than ever before and the band, which included such Jamaican luminaries as Augustus Pablo and Horsemouth Wallace, never sounded better. A highly prized piece of music to those deeply into reggae, In the Light was not a huge seller and by the mid-'80s was extremely difficult to find.
Andy continued recording through the '80s, working with producers such as Lloyd Barnes (aka Bullwackie) and the enigmatic Tappa Zukie, but he remained an obscure figure, an immensely talented singer that mostly went unheard by pop and rock audiences. That changed in 1990 when Andy was asked to contribute vocals to Massive Attack's brilliant debut Blue Lines. Ecstatic with the results, the band asked him back for 1994's Protection (which also featured another haunting vocalist, Tracey Thorn) as well as 1998's Mezzanine. Andy continued to make solo records, including a tribute LP to Bob Marley, and in 1995 the British label Blood & Fire reissued both In the Light and In the Light Dub on one disc. He hardly became a household name, but by the late '90s much of Horace Andy's great work became quite easily available.
-- Courtesy (John Dougan, All-Music Guide) --
This artist was affectionately renamed Andy as a tribute to Bob Andy, in respect of their mutual songwriting abilities, by Coxsone Dodd. Horace, also known as Sleepy, has always been a favoured vocalist among reggae fans and his eerie, haunting style has been imitated endlessly by scores of lesser talents over the years. It was his work with Dodd that established his reputation. His career at Studio One began with the single 'Something On My Mind', and eventually resulted in the classic 'Skylarking', one of reggae's most popular songs. From the mid-70s onwards, after leaving Studio One, Andy has worked with many important reggae producers in Jamaica, America and England. In the process he has recorded literally hundreds of records, most of which are now only available on rare 45s, although some of the high points of his work with Dodd, Bunny Lee and Wackies are still available on the listed albums.
In the late 70s Andy moved to his new home in Hartford, Connecticut, and in the 90s made notable vocal contributions to Massive Attack 's groundbreaking Blue Lines, Protection and Mezzanine albums. His influence on reggae music in general, and reggae singers in particular, is incalculable, yet he remains a diffident figure among many other brasher, yet less talented, reggae 'stars'. Skylarking: The Best Of Horace Andy, released in 1996, is an excellent compilation of the artist's work.
-- Courtesy (Encyclopedia of Popular Music) -- |
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