Ken Boothe

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Ken Boothe bigraphy, stories - Jamaican musician

Ken Boothe : biography

22 March 1948 –

Ken Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948, Denham Town, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica’s finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appealed to both reqgae fans and mainstream audiences.

Biography

Ken Boothe was born the youngest of seven children to a family that encouraged music. He began to take a serious interest in music while still at Denham Primary Elementary School, after receiving encouragement from his eldest sister, Hyacinth, who was an established vocalist. Author: Laurence Cane-Honeysett. Retrieved 01 June 2013. Interviewer: Angus Taylor. Published: 22 March 2013. Retrieved 01 June 2013. Boothe cites singer Owen Gray as a major influence, particularly after hearing Gray perform the Leiber and Stoller rhythm and blues version of the 1920s blues standard, "Kansas City Blues", written by E L Bowman and notably performed by Jim Jackson in 1927. Stranger Cole, who was an established artist and neighbor to Boothe, had already worked with Boothe on the Sir Percy sound system as well as recording two songs for independent producer Sir Mike though Boothe’s major breakthrough came in 1963 after Cole arranged an audition at Duke Reid’s studio. The audition with Cole and Boothe performing the song "Unos Dos Tres" was a success and Boothe and Cole formed the duo ‘Stranger & Ken’ with the first track released by them being "Hush Baby" on the B-side of Cole’s Island Records single "Last Love". This was followed by the singles "Thick in Love" both released in 1963 on R&B Records.Thompson, Dave (2002), Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, pp. 336, 368. They released several more popular singles between 1963 and 1965, including "World’s Fair", "Hush", and "Artibella". Boothe also recorded as a duo with Roy Shirley (as Roy & Ken), which resulted in the release of the single "Paradise" in 1966.

Boothe’s first solo tracks were recorded in 1966 after Clement "Coxsone" Dodd had signed him to the Studio One Label. He also recorded material for Phil Pratt and Sonia Pottinger the same year. He had almost immediate success with songs including "The Train Is Coming" (on which he was backed by the Wailers) and "Lonely Teardrops" and by the following year, Boothe and Alton Ellis had a successful UK tour with the Studio One session group, the Soul Vendors. Boothe was promoted as "Mr. Rock Steady" by Dodd during this period. Boothe continued to record for Dodd until 1970, when he switched to Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s Records, where his success continued with hits such as "Freedom Street" and "Why Baby Why".Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 34.

Following Kong’s death, Boothe recorded for many of Jamaica’s top producers during the early 1970s, including Keith Hudson, Herman Chin Loy, Vincent "Randy" Chin, and Phil Pratt. He then formed the group Conscious Minds with B. B. Seaton.

Then under a new direction from record producer Lloyd Charmers, Boothe released "Everything I Own" on Trojan Records, which reached Number One in the UK Singles charts in 1974. The song, written by David Gates, was given a sympathetic light reggae feel and it received airplay and an appreciative audience in the West Indies and was regularly played on the radio stations of the UK due to its "crossover" appeal. David Gates’ own group, Bread, had had a minor UK hit with the song in the spring of 1972, but it had only reached Number 32.

Boothe had one more hit in the UK Chart during the 1970s, "Crying Over You", which made Number 11, with Trojan Records’ collapse and a split with Charmers losing much of the momentum built up by his two hits. Boothe recorded a reggae version of the standard "When I Fall In Love" which was released in 1974 on the Studio One label.