Jimmy Riley

Born in the neighborhood of Jonestown, Kingston, Jamaica on 22^nd May 1947, Martin James Norman Riley aka Jimmy Riley, grew up with a love of music, drawing particular inspiration from the records of US R&B acts, the Impressions, the Drifters, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, the Temptations and the Four Tops.

He later attended Kingston Senior School, and when, in the mid-sixties, his friend and classmate, Slim Smith found success fronting the Techniques vocal group, Jimmy sought to follow suit, forming his own group with Cornel Campbell, Aaron ‘Bobby’ Davis and Buster Riley.

In 1966, the aptly named Sensations successfully auditioned for Arthur ‘Duke’ Reid, recording a series of well received tracks for the producer’s Treasure Isle imprint, with their output including ‘You Should Have Known’, ‘True True’, ‘I Found My Love (I’ve Lost My Date)’, ‘The Last Time’, ‘It’s You I Love’, ‘Shake It’ and ‘Juvenile Delinquent’.

A move to WIRL the following year led to further noteworthy recordings, including a number of sides backing in-house producer, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, the best-known of their collaborations being the rude boy classic, ‘Set Them Free’.

Around this time, Jimmy teamed up with former schoolmate Slim Smith, who at the time had recently parted company with the Techniques, and along with Lloyd Charmers, formed a new version of the Uniques; a singing group that had previously comprised Smith, alongside Roy Shirley and Franklyn White.

Over the next two years, the Uniques cut a series of popular 45s for Bunny Lee, with their singles for the producer including such rock steady triumphs as ‘People Rock Steady’, ‘Gypsy Woman’, ‘Let Me Go Girl’, ‘Build My World Around You’, ‘My Conversation’ and ‘The Beatitude’.

A move to Winston Lowe‘s Tramp Records in 1968 brought further success with hits including ‘Watch This Sound’, ‘Out Of Love’, ‘A Yuh’ and ‘Freedom Song’, but early the following year, the group disbanded after Smith left the to concentrate on his solo career.

Like his former colleague, Lloyd Charmers, Jimmy decided to turn his hand to producing, releasing a number of superior singles, notably ‘It’s Growing’, ‘Brotherly Love’ and ‘Black is Black’ and ‘When Will Be Paid’, while he also performed, often incognito incognito on sessions for Bunny Lee and Lee Perry.

An invitation to perform in London led to a spell in the UK, where he recorded an album’s worth of sides for Trojan Records, which were produced by Mike Berry and Tony Ashfield, who joined Jimmy on his return to Jamaica, where the singer introduced him to John Holt – leading to Ashfield and Holt’s hugely successful collaborations for the ‘Volts Of Holt’ series of albums.

Over the next few years, Jimmy continued to freelance, cutting material with various Kingston-based producers, but as the decade drew to a close, he resumed his production work in earnest, recording a number of fine singles that were gathered on three superb collections (‘Showcase’, ‘Majority Rule’ and ‘Tell The Youths The Truth’) that saw issue in the UK on the Burning Sounds and Trojan labels, respectively.

By 1980, Jimmy was primarily living in New York, working in a factory that shipped goods overseas, but in 1980, he was talked into returning to Jamaica by Robbie Shakespeare and once back in the land of his birth, the singer began working in earnest with the bassist and drumming partner, Sly Dunbar, cutting sides with the famed Riddim Twins and their session crew as the Taxi Gang. The sessions spawned such dancehall classics as ‘Love And Devotion’ ‘Give Me Your Love’, ‘My Woman’s Love’, ‘I Try’ and ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Somebody’, all of which were gathered on the acclaimed Island Records’ long-player, ‘Rydim Driven’, while subsequent Taxi works included a hit version of the Marvin Gaye hit, ‘Sexual Healing’.

Over the years that immediately followed, Jimmy worked for a variety of producers, both in Jamaica and the US, while continuing to produce his own material, with numerous singles and an array of albums seeing issue during this period.

A move to Miami in the late 1980’s initially resulted in a reduction in his output, as he concentrated his efforts into running his own record shop in the city, but after teaming up with Willie Lindo early the following decade, he resumed his studio work, enjoying local success with a number of singles which saw issue on the producer’s Heavy Beat Records label.

In later years, Jimmy returned to Jamaica and eased off from his recording work, but the international success of his son, Tarrus led to renewed interest in his music, with father and son performing together on several occasions, including the Ocho Rios Seafood Festival in 2007.

The following year, the pair recorded the title track of Jimmy’s acclaimed ‘Pull Up Selector’ LP that reunited the singer with Sly & Robbie, and which along with subsequent albums, ‘Loving You’ and ‘Contradiction’, further reinforced his reputation as one of reggae music’s greatest elder statesman.

Last year, he was diagnosed with cancer and despite bravely battling with the disease, sadly passed away in New York on the morning of 23^rd March 2016.

A true gentlemen, his loss comes as a huge blow to his family and friends, as well as all of those whose lives have been enhanced by the wonderful music he helped create over the past five decades.

LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT