Big Youth

Biography

Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica), better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s.
He commented, "Deejays were closest to the people because there wasn't any kind of establishment control on the sound systems".

Early career

Before beginning his musical career, Buchanan worked as a diesel mechanic at Kingston's Sheraton Hotel, where he would develop his toasting skills while he worked, and was nicknamed "Big Youth" by his co-workers. He started to perform at dances, initially influenced by U-Roy, and became a regular with Lord Tippertone's sound system by 1970, becoming the resident deejay, and attracting the attention of Kingston's record producers. His early 45 singles for producers such as Jimmy Radway ("The Best Big Youth"), Lee Perry ("Moving Version") and Phil Pratt ("Tell It Black×Tell It Black2000 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 31 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11(Keep On) Moving Version2S 90 Skank3Fire Bunn4Concrete Jungle5Screaming Target6Pride And Joy Rock7Be Careful8Tippertong Rock9One Of These Fine Days10The Killer11Solomon A Gunday12Honesty13I Am Alright14Lee A Low15Facts Of Life16Forman Versus FrazierDisc 21A So We Stay2Opportunity Rock3Reggae Phenomenon4Weeping In The Night5Tell It Black6Phil Pratt Thing7Johnny Reggae8Mammy Hot Daddy Cool9Hit The Road Jack10Give Praises11Wolf In Sheep's Clothing12Hip-Ki-Do13Riverton City14Notty No Jester15Get Up Stand Up") were artistically and commercially unsuccessful.

1970s peak

By 1972 he had begun working with Augustus "Gussie" Clarke, a teenage producer whose rhythms and singers were more in tune with the vibes on the streets of Kingston, and "The Killer" (on a version of Horace Andy's "Skylarking" rhythm) became his first major Jamaican hit record, soon followed by "Tippertone Rocking". Following this, he released the successful "S-90 Skank", featuring a motorbike being revved in the studio, for Keith Hudson's Imbidmts label, versioning the producer's own "We Will Work It Out". This became his first Jamaican number one hit, and also featured in a television advert for the Honda motorcycle that inspired it. The first album to feature his vocals, Chi Chi Run×Chi Chi Run1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Chi Chi RunA2ShaftA3Revelution RockA4When Revelution ComeA5Leave Your SkengA6Miami BeachB1Leggo BeastB2Youth RockB3One Day SoonB4If I Had The WorldB5BoopB6Since I Fell For You was produced by Prince Buster in 1972. Distinctive musically, his half-sung style contrasting with his contemporaries, he was also visually distinctive, with his teeth inlaid with red, gold, and green jewels.
During the early 1970s, openly Rastafarian musicians often faced discrimination within Jamaica's music industry. In early 1973, Big Youth revealed his dreadlocks during a performance at Kingston's Carib Theatre, drawing an enthusiastic audience response. According to music historian Lloyd Bradley, the incident reflected the growing acceptance of Rastafarian culture within Jamaican popular music.
In 1973, he released his first album entitled Screaming Target×Screaming Target1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Screaming TargetA2Pride & Joy RockA3Be CarefulA4Tipper Tone RockA5These Fine DaysB1The KillerB2Solomon a GundayB3HonestyB4I Am AlrightB5Lee a Low, produced by Gussie Clarke. The album is still considered as a classic of its genre, featuring rhythms from well-known hits by Gregory Isaacs, Leroy Smart, and Lloyd Parks, among others. Around this time, he also notched up some achievements in the singles chart, having seven singles in the chart at one time, and having four singles remain in the top 20 for an entire year. Throughout 1974 and 1975, he continued to record for other producers, including Glen Brown ("Dubble Attack"), The Abyssinians ("I Pray Thee"/"Dreader than Dread"), Yabby You ("Yabby Youth" – later known as "Lightning Flash (Weak Heart Drop)"), Bunny Wailer ("Bide"/"Black on Black") and Joe Gibbs ("Medecine Doctor").
His next LP, Dreadlocks Dread×Dreadlocks Dread1975 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Train to Rhodesia3:352House of Dreadlocks3:193Lightning Flash (Weak Heart Drop)3:214Natty Dread She Want3:185Some Like It Dread3:016Marcus Garvey3:017Big Youth Special2:288Dread Organ2:589Black Man Message2:5110You Don’t Care2:3411Moving Away3:07, was released in 1976 on Klik Records, a label which described itself as a "progressive Black Music Company, specialising in rebel-dread Reggae, modern Soul and Disco sounds." Although ostensibly a Big Youth LP produced by "Prince" Tony Robinson, it in fact only featured six vocal tracks, two of which – "Marcus Garvey Dread" (originally "Mosia Garvey" on Jack Ruby's Fox label) and "Lightning Flash" had been released as singles for other producers.
By this time he had begun releasing his own self-produced recordings on the Negusa Nagast and Augustus Buchanan labels in Jamaica, sometimes buying rhythms from producers for whom he had worked, but latterly using his own musicians, usually the Soul Syndicate band. Many of his singles, such as "Hot Stock", and "Battle of the Giants" (with U-Roy) were released on this imprint. His first self-produced LP was Reggae Phenomenon×Reggae Phenomenon1977 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Give Praises4:04A2Plead I Cause2:56A3I Am Your Man2:57A4Hip-Ki-Do2:48A5Riverton City3:11B1It's Not Unusual2:43B2Papa Was a Rolling Stone3:33B3Love and Happiness3:10B4Weeping in the Night3:16B5Reggae Phenomenon (Joy in the Morning)2:15Disc 2C1Get Up Stand Up3:27C2Notty No Jester2:55C3Johnny Reggae2:46C4Hit the Road Jack3:07C5Phil Pratt Thing3:15D1Wolf in Sheep's Clothing2:59D2Facts of Life3:05D3Tell It Black3:09D4Mammy Hot Daddy Cool3:10D5Dread in a Babylon3:22 in 1974. His self-productions continued with Natty Cultural Dread in 1976, followed later that year by Hit the Road Jack. He covered "Wake Up Everybody" and "What a World Needs Now" also. This was helpful, as new young DJs such as Trinity and Clint Eastwood were appearing on the scene, and Big Youth's chanting style was becoming less fashionable.
He signed to Virgin Records' Frontline label in 1977, his first release on the label being the Isaiah First Prophet of Old album, and he also appeared in the film Rockers. Virgin declined the chance to release his next three albums, however, and as the 1970s came to a close, Big Youth's popularity took a dip. By 1982, events had combined to make reggae much less successful than it had been five years earlier. The rising tide of violence had driven many musicians and producers to leave Jamaica for the UK and US; reggae had not broken through to widespread commercial success, and, in the wake of Bob Marley's death a lot of major labels either dropped their Jamaican artists or spent little on promoting them, and the music returned to its insular roots. "Slackness" (sexually explicit lyrics) became far more fashionable than cultural Rastafari movement, and teenagers looked more towards the United States for their heroes. While his records continued to find a market, tunes like "Jah Jah Golden Jubilee", "A Luta Continua×A Luta Continua1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Survival Plan4:29A2Sing Another Song4:30A3Feel It3:51A4Weatherman4:08A5Rock Johnny Roll4:34B1KKK3:46B2Bush Mama2:41B3Action3:39B4A Luta Continua7:28B5Song of Praise4:03" and "Chanting" failed to capture the public imagination.

1980s onwards

The modern digital rhythms were far from suited to Big Youth's style, and his forays into the studio became less frequent. His appearance at Reggae Sunsplash in 1982 (he would appear another four times between 1983 and 1996) was well received, but his success during the 1980s was limited. His career revived in 1990, with the "Chanting" single, produced by Winston "Niney" Holness, and "Free South Africa" on the protest album One Man One Vote.

Yes, me come inna de music as Rasta, me a de original rastaman who enter it.
In the 2000s, Big Youth teamed up with modern dub producer Twilight Circus to record two notable singles "Daniel in the Lions Den" and "What We Need Is Love", in a style hearkening to the sound of Youth's vintage 1970s classics.