Skip to main content

Owen Gray

 



Owen Grey | Copyright Control | 25006

Singer and song writer and musician Owen Gray was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 5 July 1939 and is regarded as a pioneer of Jamaican popular music. He won his first talent contest aged nine. By twelve he had joined a band, playing drums, guitar and keyboards. He became associated with Chris Blackwell in 1960, and was one of the first artistes to be produced by Blackwell. In 1962 he emigrated to the United Kingdom, toured Europe in 1964, and since 1966 became recognised as a soul as well as reggae singer. In the 1970s he relocated to New Orleans and then back to Jamaica. Since the 1980s he lived in Miami, Florida. Owen Grey died in London, UK, on 20 July, 2025.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Various Artists - The Sue Story Vol. 2 - ILP 933

  ILP 933 - Various Artists - The Sue Story Volume 2 (06.66)  Track Listing: The Hollywood Argyles - Sho' know a lot about love (Paxton, Fowley) | Ron Holden - My babe (Holden) | Thurston Harris - Little bitty pretty one (Day)  | Dee Clark - Hey little girl (Blackwell, Stevenson) | Lee Diamond - Hatti Malatti (Wilbert Smith) | Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs - Stay (Williams) | Shirley and Lee - Let the good times roll (Goodman, Lee) | Richie Valens - La bamba (Traditional arrange by Valens) | Phil Upchurch Combo - You can't sit down parts 1 and 2 (Upchurch, Clark, Muldrow) | Bobby Lewis - Tossin' and turnin'  (Adams, René) | Chris Kenner - I like it like that (Kenner, Toussaint) | Big Bob - Your line was busy (Clowney, Kornegay) | Bobby Freeman - Do you wanna dance (Freeman) | Professor Longhair - Baby let me hold your hand (Byrd) | Ronnie Hawkins - Forty days (Berry) Image: Collection of Martin Whitell.

Buster Brown

  Blues and R&B singer Buster Brown was born in Cordele, Georgia on August 15, 1911. His first recordings were non-commercial field recordings made in the 1940s. In 1956 he moved to New York City and began recording with Bobby Robinson. He is mainly famous for his recording “Fannie Mae”, which reached no. 38 in the US Top 100 and No. 1 on the US R&B Chart in 1960. “Sugar Babe”, which appears on ILP 921, “We Sing The Blues”, was a hit in the US, in 1962, reaching # 19 on the R&B chart and # 99 on the pop chart. It is not currently known for sure whether “Buster Brown” was his real name or just his stage name. Buster Brown died in New York City on January 31, 1976. Image: Getty Images

Derek Martin

  Derek Martin | Soul Express | 25025 Soul, Jazz, R&B and gospel singer Derek Don Martin (also known as Derek Ray) was born in Detroit, Michegan on 2 July 1938. When he was 17 he was singing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In 1954 he joined the vocal group The Pearls. For some time he has lived in France. “Daddy Rolling Stone” was first recorded in 1953 by Otis Blackwell. Blackwell was a very successful songwriter; as well as this song, he wrote “Fever”, “All shook up” and many other classic rock and roll songs. The record was not the first time that Derek Martin had recorded the song! He first recorded it with The Pearls in 1954, then with Jimmy Ricks & The Raves in 1962. The recording of 1963 was issued on American Sue’s subsidiary label Crackerjack, to avoid allegations of payola, since his other recordings for American Sue usually appeared on the Sue label itself. The Sue UK single’s label suffered from a frequent problem for Island and Sue records: omissions and spe...