Reggae Mourns The Passing Of A Legend

Last week, Reggae legend and musical High Priest, Roy Shirley, passed away at his home in Thamesmeade, England at the age of 64.

One of the undisputed masterminds behind the creation of the “One Drop”, King Roy Shirley as he was fondly called, was known for his colourful suits, animated stage presentation, and unique delivery that will surely keep his legacy alive within the annals of Reggae music history.

A self made talent, Roy Shirley emerged from a heavy religious upbringing in Trench Town, Jamaica to become a household name island wide in the early 60’s.

During this time he recorded a number of singles for Beverley’s’ Recording before becoming a member of the original trio, The Uniques, alongside Slim Smith and Franklin White.

The group experienced a brief moment of success but disbanded in the mid sixties, leaving Shirley singing solo until he found his first chart topping monster hit with Joe Gibbs entitled “Hold em”, in 1967, which went on to become a bonafide international chart slinger.

Roy Shirley continued his musical trek of the local and international scene with solid singles, and spawned a few hits in the process whilst working alongside many of Reggaes’ pioneer producers such as, Sir JJ, the immortal Caltone, and Bunny “Striker” Lee, with whom he found musical magic for a number of years.

His growing popularity in the late 60’s led to international appearances at world renowned venues including the Apollo Theater in 1971 and the Madison Square Garden in 1972.

By the mid 70’s, Roy Shirley had conquered Europe and the UK.

Soon his restless spirit found a second home in Britain amongst the West Indian community, where he continued to serve up his unique blend of Reggae music on and off until the late 80’s when Roy Shirley decided to share his musical legacy, becoming an active philanthropist and an integral part of talent development in Britain, eventually founding the British Universal Talent Development Association (BUTDA) which still provides opportunities for young brits of all races to hone their artistic talents.

Shortly after, Roy Shirley experienced another resurgence in his musical career, and quickly re-established himself as a staple headliner on a myriad of local and international Reggae vintage concerts in the mid 90’s.

By the turn of the millennium the musical high priest shifted his focus to re-igniting his career, initiated by a slew of recordings, a number of reissues by Trojan records, compilations and independent albums.

His 2005 independent full length release, “Nice up The City” became the first of a three part musical project including “Nice Up The Music” and the final “Love Is Forever”.

Up until the time of his death, Roy Shirley was in the process of completing his fourth album aptly entitled “Reggae Sweet Them Now”, in addition to putting the finishing touches to his final world tour which was slated to kick off sometime later this year.

His death has resonated throughout the Reggae fraternity worldwide.

Fans, friends, and industry officials have overwhelmed his surviving family members with condolences from as far as Peru, Japan and Australia to name a few distant places where his music has touched the heart of the people.

Trojan Records, now owned by Universal Records issued a statement from its website in remembrance of this musical mastermind:-"Truly unique, Roy was not only one of the true greats of Jamaican music's first golden age, but also a gentleman in every sense of the word, and he will be sadly missed by all those who knew him, either personally or through his music,"


Funeral and memorial arrangements will be announced.

Reggae Loses Another Legend.

View A Short Documentary Excerpt Ft Roy Shirley


Selah

The Reggae News Agency

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