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{{Short description|Jamaican musician (1942–2021)}}
{{redirect|Hugh Roy|the cricketer|Hugh Roy (cricketer)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use Jamaican English|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = U-Roy
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100|list=[[Order of Distinction|OD]]}}
| image = U-Roy.jpeg
| caption =
| image_size =
| landscape = yes
| birth_name = Ewart Beckford
| alias = The Originator<br/>Hugh Roy<br />The Teacher<br/>
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1942|9|21}}
| birth_place = Jones Town, [[Colony of Jamaica|Jamaica]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2021|2|17|1942|9|21}}
| death_place = [[Kingston, Jamaica]]
| origin =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Reggae]]|[[rocksteady]]|[[dancehall]]|[[Dub music|dub]]}}
| occupation = Singer, songwriter
| instrument =
| years_active = 1961–2021
| label = [[Treasure Isle]], Duke Reid, [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
| associated_acts =
| website =
}}
'''Ewart Beckford''' [[Order of Distinction|OD]] (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021),<ref>{{cite news |title=U-Roy obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/23/u-roy-obituary |access-date=23 February 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Peter |last=Mason |date=23 February 2021}}</ref> known by the stage name '''U-Roy''', was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of [[Toasting (Jamaican music)|toasting]].<ref name="AllMusic2">Jo-Ann Greene, [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/u-roy-mn0000178014 U-Roy Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121126074959/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/U-Roy-MN0000178014 |date=26 November 2012 }}, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013.</ref><ref name="ChangChen1998">{{cite book|author1=Kevin O&Brien Chang|author2=Wayne Chen|title=Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music|url=https://archive.org/details/reggaeroutesstor00chan|url-access=registration|access-date=11 April 2013|year=1998|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=978-1-56639-629-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/reggaeroutesstor00chan/page/70 70]–}}</ref> U-Roy was known for a melodic style of toasting applied with a highly developed sense of timing.
==Early life==
Ewart Beckford was born in Jones Town, Saint Andrew Parish, [[Kingston, Jamaica]], on 21 September 1942.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Genzlinger|first=Neil|date=2021-02-19|title=U-Roy, Whose 'Toasting' Transformed Jamaican Music, Dies at 78|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/arts/music/u-roy-dead.html|access-date=2021-02-21|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221013627/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/arts/music/u-roy-dead.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was raised within a religious and musical family; his mother was an organist for the choir at a local [[Seventh-day Adventist]] church.<ref name="UnitedReggae">Taylor, Angus, [http://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1195/122012/interview-u-roy U-Roy Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115162635/http://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1195/122012/interview-u-roy |date=15 January 2013 }}, United Reggae, 20 December 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2013.</ref> The [[sobriquet]] U-Roy originated from a younger member of his family who found it difficult to pronounce his first name.<ref name="Bogdanov2003">{{cite book|first=Vladimir|last=Bogdanov|title=All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-Hop|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wr1lmklsD8QC&pg=PT618|access-date=9 April 2013|year=2003|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-0-87930-759-2|pages=618–|archive-date=26 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626224430/http://books.google.com/books?id=Wr1lmklsD8QC&pg=PT618|url-status=live}}</ref> Beckford attended Denham Town High School in Kingston.<ref>Cooke, Mel, [http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100509/ent/ent7.html "U-Roy Wakes The Town"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202232440/http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100509/ent/ent7.html |date=2 February 2014 }}, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 9 May 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2013.</ref> As a young man Beckford listened to the music of [[Louis Prima]], [[James Brown]], [[Ruth Brown]], [[Fats Domino]], [[Rufus Thomas]], [[Smiley Lewis]] and was especially influenced by the vocal phrasing of [[Louis Jordan]].<ref name="Reggae France">Rougeot. [http://www.reggaefrance.com/interview-274-u-roy.html U-Roy Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404121406/http://www.reggaefrance.com/interview-274-u-roy.html |date=4 April 2013 }}, Reggae France. Published 22 October 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2013.</ref>
==Career==
Inspired by [[Count Matchuki]], U-Roy started his professional career as a deejay in 1961 on Dickie Wong's [[Sound system (Jamaican)|sound system]] (originally called Doctor Dickies later changed to Dickies Dynamic) moving later to the Sir George the Atomic sound system. He then worked on [[Sir Coxsone Dodd]]'s sound system where he ran the number two set while [[King Stitt]] "The Ugly One" ran the main set. This was followed by a period with Sir Percy before he moved to [[King Tubby]]'s Hometown Hi-Fi sound system.<ref>[http://www.snwmf.com/u-roy.html SNWMF site – U-Roy Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501000154/http://www.snwmf.com/u-roy.html |date=1 May 2013 }}. Retrieved 8 April 2013.</ref> His first single "Dynamic Fashion Way" (1969) was a [[Keith Hudson]] production.<ref name="Reggae France" /> It was followed by the [[Lee "Scratch" Perry]] production "Earth's Rightful Ruler" with [[Peter Tosh]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=de-aAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT233|title=Bob Marley: The Complete Guide to his Music|publisher=Omnibus Press|date=12 December 2011|last1=McCann|first1=Ian|last2=Hawke|first2=Harry|page=1975|isbn=9780857127358|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221195416/https://books.google.ca/books?id=de-aAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT233|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 1970, Jamaican singer [[John Holt (singer)|John Holt]] (lead vocalist of [[the Paragons]]) heard U-Roy toasting over a [[Duke Reid]] track at a dance. Holt told Reid about the performance and on his recommendation Reid asked him to come and see him and an informal recording deal was arranged.<ref name="UnitedReggae" /> His first two singles on Duke Reid's [[Treasure Isle]] label in 1970, "[[Wake the Town]]" and "Wear You to the Ball", were Jamaican hits and established his reputation as one of Jamaica's most popular toasters. He went on to work with other major producers on the island including [[Lee "Scratch" Perry]], [[Bunny Lee]], [[Phil Pratt]], [[Sonia Pottinger]], [[Rupie Edwards]], [[Alvin Ranglin]] and [[Lloyd Daley]]. 1971 saw the release of his deejay version of The Paragons' "[[The Tide Is High]]". He first toured the UK in 1972 with the artists [[Roy Shirley]] and [[Max Romeo]].<ref>[[David Katz (author)|Katz, David]] (28 August 2008), [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/aug/28/worldmusic "Obituary: Roy Shirley"]. ''The Guardian'' (UK). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201210516/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/aug/28/worldmusic |date=1 December 2016 }} Retrieved 3 May 2013.</ref> The tour was organized by Rita and Benny King, the owners of R & B Records based in [[Stamford Hill]], London.<ref>Peter I, [http://www.reggae-vibes.com/concert/bunnylee/bunnylee1.htm Bunny Lee Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503082338/http://www.reggae-vibes.com/concert/bunnylee/bunnylee1.htm |date=3 May 2013 }}, ''Reggae Vibes'' (no date). Retrieved 3 May 2013.</ref>
U-Roy's album ''[[Dread in a Babylon]]'' was released in the US, Europe and Jamaica by [[Virgin Records]] in 1975.<ref name="Inc.1977.TonyRobinson">{{cite book|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N0UEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59|access-date=23 April 2013|date=12 November 1977|pages=59–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> The album achieved significant sales in the UK, due in part to the ongoing expansion of the Virgin label and stores. The track "Runaway Girl" from the album was released as a single in Europe that same year. The success of ''Dread In A Babylon'' led to a series of Tony Robinson produced albums: ''Natty Rebel'' (1976), ''Rasta Ambassador'' (1977) and ''Jah Son Of Africa'' (1978).<ref name=AllMusic/> His international popularity led to the album ''Natty Rebel'' being released in 1976 on Virgin's Front Line label in Nigeria as well as in France on Virgin and [[Polydor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/natty-rebel-mw0000264885/releases|title=Natty Rebel (U-Roy) – Releases|work=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=18 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221195433/https://www.allmusic.com/album/natty-rebel-mw0000264885/releases|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Quella volta che in Giamaica il Dj afferrò il microfono|url=https://xl.repubblica.it/articoli/quella-volta-che-in-giamaica-il-dj-afferro-il-microfono/77310/|first=Massimiliano|last=Guerrieri|date=18 June 2018|access-date=15 February 2021|newspaper=la Repubblica|___location=Rome|archive-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203184847/http://xl.repubblica.it/articoli/quella-volta-che-in-giamaica-il-dj-afferro-il-microfono/77310/|url-status=live}} {{in lang|it}}</ref>
U-Roy started his own sound system in 1978, which he named Stur Gav after his sons. The sound system would launch the careers of a younger generation of toasters and singers including [[Ranking Joe]], Jah Screw, Charlie Chaplin and Josey Wales.<ref name="UnitedReggae" /> The pop group [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] had a world-wide hit with a cover of "The Tide Is High" in 1980, prompting Virgin to re-release the original Paragons' recording from 1967 and the 1971 U-Roy version as a single that same year.<ref>{{cite magazine |first= Peter |last= Jones |title= 'Tide' In Again |date= 22 November 1980 |page= 62 |magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |volume= 97 |issue= 47 |issn= 0006-2510 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT85 |access-date= 22 June 2020 |archive-date= 19 September 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200919042456/https://books.google.com/books?id=mCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT85 |url-status= live }}</ref> His album ''Pray Fi Di People'' was released in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/589059|title=Review & Photos: U-Roy in Paris, France 10/16/2012|first=David|last=Katz|date=16 October 2012|website=Reggaeville.com|access-date=18 February 2021|archive-date=16 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116125308/https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/589059|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pray-fi-di-people-mw0002425921/releases|title=Pray Fi Di People (U-Roy) – Releases|work=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=18 February 2021}}</ref>
U-Roy was featured on the album [[True Love (Toots & the Maytals album)|''True Love'']] by [[Toots and the Maytals]], which won the [[Grammy Award]] in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians including [[Willie Nelson]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Jeff Beck]], [[Trey Anastasio]], [[Gwen Stefani]] / [[No Doubt]], [[Ben Harper]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Manu Chao]], [[The Roots]], [[Ryan Adams]], [[Keith Richards]], [[Toots Hibbert]], [[Paul Douglas (musician)|Paul Douglas]], [[Jackie Jackson]], [[Ken Boothe]], and [[The Skatalites]].<ref>Toots and the Maytals. tootsandthemaytals.net. Web. [http://www.tootsandthemaytals.net/linear-cd-notes/ "In Depth – Linear Notes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20161110054527/http://www.tootsandthemaytals.net/linear-cd-notes/ |date=10 November 2016 }}. Retrieved 9 November 2016.</ref>
He was awarded the [[Order of Distinction]] in 2007 by the Jamaican government for his contribution to music.<ref>[http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080408/ent/ent4.html U-Roy Order of Distinction Award] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114031438/http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080408/ent/ent4.html |date=14 January 2009 }}, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 8 April 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2013.</ref>
His last recording was the song "The Coming of Jah Jah" for the project "The Deejay Battle: Sly & Robbie vs Roots Radics" released in April 2023 produced by the Grammy nominated musician and producer Hernan "Don Camel" Sforzini.
===U-Roy's music and Rastafari===
[[Rastafari]] has been a feature of U-Roy's lyrics from his earliest singles to his latest album ''Pray Fi Di People''. Beckford's second single "Rightful Ruler" (1969) opens with a profession of Rastafari faith given in the Ethiopian language [[Amharic language|Amharic]]:
<blockquote><poem>
Kibir amlak (Glory to Jah)
Qedamawi ras fetari (First creator)
Qedamawi iyesus kristos (Holy Jesus Christ)
Lebdama mabrak isad
Tenayistilgn (Greetings)
</poem></blockquote>
His "Joyful Locks" (1975) is a DJ version of [[Linval Thompson]]'s "Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks"; an encouragement to others to keep their dreadlocks and to "let it grow". The original song and U-Roy's DJ version both allude to the biblical [[Samson]] who as a Nazarite was expected to make certain religious vows including the ritual treatment of his hair as described in Chapter Six of the [[Book of Numbers]]:<ref name="Mahddy2014">{{cite book|author=Rasta Mahddy|title=Reggae Vibe Summer Issue: Reggae Vibe Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbJLBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT30|date=1 August 2014|publisher=Reggae Vibe Magazine|pages=30–|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221195420/https://books.google.com/books?id=BbJLBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT30|url-status=live}}</ref>
<blockquote>All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
</blockquote>
==Death==
Beckford's death was confirmed on 17 February 2021 when his partner, Marcia Smikle, told the Jamaican newspaper ''[[The Gleaner]]''. [[Trojan Records]] was also informed about his death. While no cause of death was made public at the time, he suffered from diabetes, hypertension, and problems with his kidneys prior to his death, and had been undergoing surgery at the hospital.<ref>{{cite news|last=Amorosi|first=A. D.|date=2021-02-19|title=U-Roy, Influential Reggae Artist, Dies at 78|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/u-roy-reggae-artist-toasting-dead-dies-1234910902/|access-date=2021-02-20|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=20 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220194143/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/u-roy-reggae-artist-toasting-dead-dies-1234910902/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Legacy==
Beckford was preceded by the toasters [[Count Matchuki]], [[King Stitt]] and [[Sir Lord Comic]] who themselves were influenced by the ''[[jive talk]]'' of the US [[disc jockeys]] that they heard on American radio stations whose broadcasts reached the Caribbean. Beckford was the first toaster to popularize the form through a series of successful releases on the Duke Reid label gaining a wider audience for toasting. This approach to production and the remixing of previously recorded tracks with a new vocal influenced the early [[hip-hop]] pioneers.<ref name="NYT">{{cite web |last1=Genzlinger |first1=Neil |title=U-Roy, Whose 'Toasting' Transformed Jamaican Music, Dies at 78 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/arts/music/u-roy-dead.html |website=[[New York Times]] |access-date=23 February 2021 |date=19 February 2021}}</ref> [[Kool Herc]] states:
<blockquote>"Hip-hop….the whole chemistry of that came from Jamaica…..In Jamaica all you needed was a drum and a bass. So what I did was go right to the ‘yoke’. I cut off all the anticipation and just played the beats. I’d find out where the break in the record was and prolonged it and people would love it. So I was giving them their own taste and beat percussion wise….cause my music is all about heavy bass."<ref>[http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/board.html Reggae’s Impact on Hip-Hop – Jamie Ann Board (UVM Debate Paper – 17 April 2000).] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121172556/http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/board.html |date=21 January 2012 }} Retrieved 22 April 2013</ref></blockquote>
Many internationally known dancehall deejays have acknowledged U-Roy as an influence on their careers, including [[Sean Paul]] and [[Shabba Ranks]].<ref name="NPR">{{cite web |last1=Meschino |first1=Patricia |title=U-Roy, Jamaican Vocalist Who Defined Dancehall And Presaged Hip-Hop, Dies At 78 |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/18/969292407/u-roy-jamaican-vocalist-who-defined-dancehall-and-presaged-hip-hop-dies-at-78 |website=[[NPR]]|access-date=23 February 2021 |date=18 February 2021}}</ref>
==Album discography==
{{div col}}
*''Version Galore'' (1970)<ref name=AllMusic>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/u-roy-mn0000178014/discography/all|title=Raymond Lévesque – Album Discography|work=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=18 February 2021|archive-date=13 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613231253/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/u-roy-mn0000178014/discography/all|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''Version Galore Vol. 2'' (1972)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1rNcDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA1975|title=Young, Gifted & Black: The Story of Trojan Records|publisher=Omnibus Press|date=19 July 2018|last1=de Koningh|first1=Michael|last2=Cane–Honeysett|first2=Laurence|page=1975|isbn=9781787591042|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221195419/https://books.google.ca/books?id=1rNcDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA1975|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''U Roy'' (1974)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''[[Dread in a Babylon]]'' (1975) – produced by Prince Tony Robinson<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Natty Rebel'' (1976)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''The Best of U Roy'' (1976)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Right Time Rockers-The Lost Album'' (1976) <ref name=AllMusic/>
*''African Roots'' (1976)<ref name=Foster>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eAYhAQAAIAAJ|title=Roots, Rock, Reggae: An Oral History of Reggae Music from Ska to Dancehall|publisher=Billboard|year=1999|last=Foster|first=Chuck|page=329|isbn=9780823078318|access-date=19 February 2021|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221195420/https://books.google.ca/books?id=eAYhAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''Rasta Ambassador'' (1977)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Jah Son of Africa'' (1978)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''With Words of Wisdom'' (1979)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''The Originator'' (1980)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Love Gamble'' (1980)<ref name=Foster/>
*''Line Up and Come'' (1986)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*'' Music Addict'' (1987) - produced by Prince Jazzbo
*''True Born African'' (1991) – produced by [[Mad Professor]]<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Smile a While'' (1993) – produced by Mad Professor<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Babylon Kingdom Must Fall'' (1996) – produced by Mad Professor<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Reggae Live Sessions Vol-1'' (1998)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Serious Matter'' (2000)<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Now'' (2001) – produced by Guillaume Bougard/Pierre Simonin<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Rebel in Styylle'' (2005) – Mediacom<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Old School/New Rules'' (2007) – produced by Mad Professor<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Pray Fi Di People'' (2012) – produced by Ewart Beckford<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Talking Roots'' (2018) – produced by Mad Professor<ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Solid Gold U-Roy'' (2021) <ref name=AllMusic/>
*''Dread In A Africa U-Roy'' (2022) Jamaican Art Records
*''The Deejay Battle: Sly & Robbie vs. Roots Radics feat. Big Youth'' (2023) Serious Reggae
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links==
*[http://www.smokeyroom.net/u-roy Smokeyroom's Version Galore]
*[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p2948|pure_url=yes}} U-Roy biography] at the [[AllMusic]] website
* {{Discogs artist|U-Roy}}
*[http://www.discogs.com/U-Roy-Natty-Rebel/release/2945029 ''Natty Rebel'' (1976) Nigerian release at Discogs]
*[http://www.discogs.com/U-Roy-Joyful-Locks-Dub-With-I/release/3272318 "Joyful Locks" (1975) Bunny Lee production at Discogs]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dze1fbd6jC4 U-Roy Live & Interview]
*[https://play.spotify.com/album/71XWDCaZIGgtFqaVmTORwU "Heavy Duty" (2016) at Spotify]
* {{IMDb name|id=0879634}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uroy}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Jamaican Rastafarians]]
[[Category:Jamaican reggae musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica]]
[[Category:Performers of Rastafarian music]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Distinction]]
[[Category:Trojan Records artists]]
[[Category:Treasure Isle (record label) artists]]
[[Category:Former Seventh-day Adventists]]
[[Category:Converts to the Rastafari movement]]
[[Category:Jamaican former Christians]]
[[Category:Virgin Records artists]]
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