Barrington Levy

Biography

Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician from Clarendon, Jamaica.

Career

In 1977, Levy formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Black Girl". Levy established his solo career the following year with the release of "A Long Time Since We Don't Have No Love"; though the single was a failure, the fourteen-year-old was a popular performer at Jamaican dancehalls. In an August 2014 interview with Midnight Raver, record producer Delroy Wright revealed that it was his brother Hyman Wright who first met Barrington Levy in the mid-1970s through Wade "Trinity" Brammer. According to Delroy Wright, Hyman Wright recorded a host of tracks with Barrington Levy prior to introducing him to Henry "Junjo" Lawes. These tracks would eventually appear on the album Bounty Hunter×Bounty Hunter1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Bounty HunterA2Shaolin TempleA3Shine Eye GirlA4Moonlight LoverA5Trod With JahB1It's Not EasyB2SkylarkingB3Jah LifeB4Wedding RingB5Don't Fuss or Fight, which was released on the Jah Life record label. Both record producers recorded several singles with the Roots Radics, including "Ah Yah We Deh", "Looking My Love×Looking My LoveSingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALooking My LoveBLooking My Love (version)", "Englishman×Englishman1979 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Englishman3:33A2If You Give to Me3:59A3Sister Carol3:54A4Don't Fuss nor Fight2:35A5Look Girl3:13B1Look Youth Man3:07B2Send a Moses3:33B3Black Heart Man4:15B4Money Makes Friends4:00B5Bend Your Back3:23", "Skylarking", "Wedding Ring Aside" and "Collie Weed×Collie Weed1977 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACollie WeedBVersion", all of which became hits and established Levy's career. Levy's next few singles were similarly successful, including "Shine Eye Girl", "Wicked Intention", "Jumpy Girl", "Disco Music", "Reggae Music", "Never Tear My Love Apart", "Jah", "You Made Me So Happy" and "When You're Young and in Love". Levy then recorded several duets with Toyan, Jah Thomas and Trinity, and appeared at Reggae Sunsplash in 1980 and 1981. Although albums were not terribly important in Jamaica at the time, Levy released four albums before 1980: Shaolin Temple×Shaolin Temple1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Wedding Ring4:02A2Moonlight Lover3:47A3Bounty Hunter5:17A4Skylarking3:54A5It's Not Easy3:13B1Looking My Love4:01B2Shine Eye Girl3:11B3Shaolin Temple3:57B4Reggae Music2:41B5Collie Weed3:20, Bounty Hunter, Shine Eye Gal×Shine Eye Gal1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1A Ya We Deh3:03A2Shine Eye Gal3:20A3Collie Dread3:12A4Captivity3:44B1Pretty Looks4:13B2Revelation3:45B3Christmas Day2:49B4Jam Down3:38 (United Kingdom) and Englishman, a critically acclaimed record. His success led to many earlier studio and sound system performances being reissued without his consent, releases he described as "joke business".
By the time his 1980 album Robin Hood×Robin Hood1980 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Robin HoodA2Rock and Come InA3Love Sister CarolA4Gonna Tell Your Girl FriendA5You Come to Ask Me What Is LoveB1Why Did You Leave MeB2Many Changes in LifeB3Na Broke No Fight Over No WomanB4When Friday ComeB5Like How You Kiss and Caress Me was released, Levy was one of the biggest Jamaican stars, and saw his international fame growing as well, especially in the United Kingdom. Levy made his debut as a producer on the rare 1981 showcase album titled Run Come Ya, which was issued on the Canadian Puff Records label.
Taking a break from albums, Levy then released a series of hit singles, including "Mary Long Tongue", "In the Dark", "Too Poor", "I Have a Problem", "Eventide Fire a Disaster", "I'm Not in Love", "You Have It", "Love of Jah", "Under Mi Sensi×Under Mi Sensi1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAUnder Mi Sensi (Jungle Spliff) (X Project remix)5:19BJungle Dub (X Project remix)4:52", "Tomorrow Is Another Day", "Robberman", "Black Roses", "My Woman" and "Money Move×Money Move1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Money Move3:412Jah Saved My Life3:463True Love3:274Misunderstanding3:495I Feel Free3:256Hard to Believe3:097Come in a Dance3:158Suffer the Little Children3:32". He began working with Paul "Jah Screw" Love and toured the UK in 1984, where he enjoyed a big hit on the reggae charts with "Under Mi Sensi", which was followed by the crossover hit "Here I Come×Here I Come1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Live GoodA2Do the DanceA3A Ya We DehA4Under Me SensiA5Give Me Your LoveB1Cool and LovingB2Moonlight LoverB3Here I ComeB4The Vibes Is RightB5Don't Run Away", which reached number 41 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985. He returned to LPs with Lifestyle and Money Move, followed by a British hit album called Here I Come; Levy received the Best Vocalist prize at the British Reggae Awards in 1984. The late 1980s saw Levy, now in his twenties, slow down his recorded output, though he continued to perform and record regularly, and played at Sunsplash every year from 1987 to 1995. His fortunes were revived by two cover versions of Bob Andy songs - "My Time×My Time1990 · ReleaseSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksA 1.My TimeB 1.My Dub" and "Too Experienced×Too Experienced28 July 1998 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Murderer3:392Under Mi Sensi4:133Prison Oval Rock4:014My Time3:455She's Mine3:566Shine Eye Girl3:127No Fuss No Fight3:358Black Roses3:04921 Girl Salute3:2410Teach the Youths3:3611Too Experienced3:2012Don't Throw It All Away3:3013Vice Versa Love5:1614Living Dangerously4:4315Dancehall4:0316Work3:41", both produced by Jah Screw, and he was signed by Island Records in 1991 for the Divine album. In 1991 he returned to the UK chart with "Tribal Base", a single by Rebel MC featuring Levy and Tenor Fly, which reached number 20. In 1993, Levy tried to break in the United States with the Barrington album, produced by Lee Jaffe, Andre Betts and Sly & Robbie, but it failed to give him the breakthrough he wanted and his relationship with MCA Records was short-lived.
In the 1990s, Levy continued to release periodic hits in Jamaica, and more rarely in the UK, although his vocals were sampled and used in many underground and released jungle tunes. On 20 June 1991, he appeared on the BBC One music show Top of the Pops alongside Rebel MC (Congo Natty) and Tenor Fly as his track "Here I Come" was sampled by Rebel MC, with the record becoming the UK Top 40 hit "Tribal Base".
In 1998, he released Living Dangerously, which included a collaboration with one of Jamaica's most prolific deejays, Bounty Killer, and with Snoop Dogg. The release was one of Levy's most successful since the start of the 1990s, and saw him finally achieve some success in the US. Levy performed on two tracks on Long Beach Dub All Stars 1999 album Right Back, and also played a few shows with the band. He was featured on a 1999 track by the Rascalz titled "Top of the World", also featuring K-os. Levy also appeared on two singles by rapper Shyne ("Bad Boyz×Bad Boyz2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Bad Boyz (radio mix)4:192Bad Boyz (club mix)4:193Bad Boyz (instrumental)4:304Bonnie & Shyne (radio mix)3:575Bonnie & Shyne (club mix)4:17" and "Bonnie & Shyne"), and on a track for drum and bass artist Aphrodite's 2000 album Aftershock. "Here I Come" returned to the charts in 2001, with a new version by Levy and Talisman P reaching number 37 in the UK.
In 2004, he contributed to a track on the album White People by Handsome Boy Modeling School, a project by Prince Paul and Dan the Automator. He also did some collaborations with Slightly Stoopid on their 2005 album Closer to the Sun. Most recently, Levy made a guest appearance on the single "No Fuss" by Red-1 of the Rascalz, from his 2007 album Beg For Nothing.
In September 2013, he released the single "Love the Way She Love", a collaboration with Mr. Vegas, and announced an acoustic album featuring new songs and reworkings of old songs such as "Prison Oval Rock×Prison Oval Rock1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Prison Oval Rock3:132Prison Oval Dub3:343You Say You Love Me3:084Good Loving4:035Rip and Run Off4:046Please Jah Jah3:337Robberman3:278Hammer3:179Stray Away Girl3:1710Mary Long Tongue4:17" and "Black Roses". His album, Acousticalevy×Acousticalevy5 May 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Murdera4:422Life Is Great4:133Unda Mi Sensi4:554Be Strong4:315Prison Oval4:056She's Mine3:547Black Roses4:368Teach The Youth4:329Things Friends4:4110Times Hard4:1411Here I Come4:2012Don't Run Away4:3613Only You3:5914Vice Versa Love5:1015Vibes Is Right4:13, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2016.
In 2021, Levy was featured on the Gorillaz track "Meanwhile" alongside Jelani Blackman.
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Levy at number 119 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. He performed on the West Holts stage at that year's Glastonbury Festival.
Since 2011 Levy has been working on his album Survivor (the album originally had the working title It's About Time). In 2017 he released the first single from the album, "GSOAT", yet the album remains unreleased.

Personal life

Levy's son Krishane is also a musician, and is signed to Atlantic Records.
Levy is a Rastafarian.