- Roy Cousins
Roy Cousins (b. 1949, Kingston,
Jamaica )cite book |last=Katz |first=David |title=Solid Foundation - An Oral History of Reggae |year= 2003 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=0-7475-6847-2 ] is a reggae singer, producer, andrecord label owner, known for his work as leader of The Royals, his productions of artists such as Charlie Chaplin,Prince Far I , andCornell Campbell , and his record labels such as "Tamoki Wambesi".Biography
Cousins worked for the Jamaican Post Office for many years when he left school, and had formed his first vocal group in 1962, to attend the "Junior Festival Competition". In 1965 he formed a vocal group, initially known as The Tempests, and later as The Royals. Frustrated with his dealings with record labels, he started his own "Uhuru" label in 1971.cite web |url=http://194.154.164.100/~westbury@westburymusicltd.co.uk/4artisttrackdb/showarticle.php?id=129 |title=Roy Cousins Biography |accessdate=2007-12-29 ] This soon folded, but he returned with the "Tamoki" label in 1972 and the "Wambesi" label in 1974. He also began producing other artists, including
Gregory Isaacs ' "Way of Life" in 1974, which established the singer as a star.cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae |year= 1998 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0242-9 ] In June 1977, Cousins left his Post Office job to concentrate full-time on music, resulting in 1978's "Pick Up The Pieces" album, a collection of tracks from Royals 1970s singles, which is now considered one of the great reggae albums.cite book |last=Barrow |first=Steve |coauthors= Dalton, Peter|title=Reggae: 100 Essential CDs - The Rough Guide |year=1999 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=1-85828-567-4 ] It's success led to a contract withBallistic Records , licenced toUnited Artists , with two further Royals albums following. Cousins-produced dub albums also appeared ("Freedom Fighters Dub" and "Liberated Dub"). In 1979,cataract s almost led to Cousins losing his sight, and after recovering, he began to concentrate on production, introducing thedeejay Charlie Chaplin with a series of LPs, and producing artists such as Cornell Campbell,Earl 16 ,Naggo Morris , andThe Meditations . Cousins produced Prince Far I's final album in 1983, "Umkhonto We Sizwe", the chanter being fatally shot before it was finished. This prompted Cousins to emigrate toLiverpool ,England , where he set up a record shop, "Cousins Cove", and continues to release records on his "Tamoki-Wambesi" and "Dove" labels, both from his back-catalogue, and new recordings of visiting Jamaican artists.References
External links
* [http://www.roots-archives.com/artist/115 Roy Cousins at Roots Archives]
* [http://www.reggaeid.co.uk/producers.php?producer=Roy%20Cousins&PHPSESSID=5761ce0405c680dcd6d Roy Cousins productions at ReggaeID]
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Roy+Cousins Roy Cousins at discogs.com]
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