Little John (musician) explained
| Little John |
| Birth Name: | John McMorris |
| Birth Place: | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Origin: | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre: | Reggae, dancehall |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Years Active: | Late 1970s–present |
John McMorris (born 1970), better known as Little John, is a Jamaican dancehall musician best known for his 1980s recordings.
Biography
Born 1970 in Kingston, Jamaica,[1] Little John was so called as he began performing and recording at the age of nine.[2] He first recorded for Captain Sinbad's Youth in Progress label (including debut single "51 Storm"), and is regarded by some as the first dancehall singer, known for his ability to create lyrics over any backing track. After getting joining Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion organisation, he performed with sound systems such as Romantic Hi Fi, Kilimanjaro, Gemini, and Henry "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano Hi Power.[3] He recorded for many producers in the 1980s, notably for Lawes, Joseph Hoo Kim, George Phang, Jah Thomas, and King Jammy.
He performed at Reggae Sumfest in 2010, where he paid tribute to Sugar Minott.[4]
Discography
- Janet Sinclair (single, 1982), Greensleeves – with Billy Boyo
- Reggae Dance (1982), Midnight Rock
- Showdown vol. 1 (1984), Empire/Hitbound – with Barry Brown
- English Woman (1983), Gorgon
- Ghetto Youth (1983), Jah Guidance – reissued (1990), RAS
- Give the Youth a Try (1983), Live & Learn
- Show Case 83 (1983), EAD
- Showdown vol. 6 (1984), Hitbound – with Frankie Paul
- True Confession (1984), Power House
- Unite (1984), Vista Sounds
- Clarks Booty (1985), Live & Love
- River to the Bank (1985), Power House
- The Best of Little John (1985), RM
- Worries and Trouble (1985), Black Scorpio
- Rubber Dub One (1986), C&E
- Youth of Today (1986), Skengdon
- Dance Hall Clash (1986), Sunset – with Uglyman
- Warriors & Trouble (1986), World Enterprise
- Showcase Volume 1 (198?), Sir Tommy's – with Trevor Junior
- Boombastic (1990), Heartbeat - produced by Winston Holness[5]
- Build Back Yard (2006), Johnhouse
- Compilations:
- Early Days (1984), Jah Bible
Notes and References
- Web site: Little John . AllMusic.
- Book: Larkin, Colin . 1998 . The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae . Virgin Books . 0-7535-0242-9 . 171.
- Book: Lesser, Beth . 2008 . Dancehall: The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture . Soul Jazz . 978-0-9554817-1-0 . 134.
- News: Reggae Sumfest: The good, the bad and the muddy . Peru . Yasmine . July 29, 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104157/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/pfversion/Reggae-Sumfest--The-good--the-bad-and-the-muddy_7838241 . 4 March 2016 . live.
- Web site: Dougan . John . Boombastic Review . AllMusic.
