By the time he transitioned in 1999,
Dennis brown was largely regarded as, “The crown prince of reggae”!
Even I consider him so.
Photo credit: Reggae North
Here is why!
This man left us with 75 music albums. Isn’t that so much material to enjoy?
Photo credit: Repeating Islands
Born in 1957,
Dennis here begun performing at the age of 9.
His first recording is called “Lips of Wine”.
(You should check it out as soonest as you can).
Photo credit: Beatsource
That track was never really released commercially.
It was a similar track that followed, that really propelled him to the entire Jamaica.
It is called “No man is an island”.
He released this song when he was 12 years old and it became his first biggest hit of all time!
Photo credit: Modus House of Soul
I want you to look at these opening lyrics,
“No man is an island.
No man stands alone.
Treat each man as your brother.
And remember, each man’s dream as your own”.
Don’t you love that message, generally?
Photo credit: Reggae In Seattle
A few years went by, and my man here started working with another favourite of mine called “Alton Ellis”.
Photo credit: Dub Vendor
Did you know the very popular track named “I am still in love with you”, that was done by Sean Paul and Sister Sasha in 2002, was originally done by Alton Ellis?
Many of us who love Alton refer to him as the “Godfather of Lovers’ Rock”, as a matter of fact!
Photo credit: IMDb
Alton so much encouraged Dennis to learn how to play a guitar.
If you listen closely to Dennis’s music, you realise there is a lot of guitars besides his angelic vocals and lovely songwriting.
Just like his brother Leroy Clarke put it,
“You want to know the true Dennis? Listen to his lyrics. He was singing from the heart” (The Beat, Volume 18, #5/6)”.
I will leave you some homework.
- Play the song “Revolution” done by Shaggy featuring Dennis, in his absence.
Listen to every single word.
Let me know what you think about that song!
Photo credit: SoundCloud
- Who is this artist that left such a huge mark on greats like Luciano, Barrington Levy, Beenie Man, Bob Marley, Bushman, Frankie Paul among others? Why is it that “Money In My Pocket” still rocks the hearts and stereos of so many people all over the world?