Jah Thomas

Biography

Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas (born 1955, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.

Biography

Named Nkrumah after Ghanaian nationalist leader Kwame Nkrumah, he adopted the stage name Jah Thomas and began deejaying in the mid-1970s, working with producers such as Alvin Ranglin, who released his single "Midnight Rock", which topped the Jamaican chart in 1976. Thomas's debut album, Stop Yuh Loafin' gained international recognition via a release on the newly formed Greensleeves Records label. Further deejay albums appeared in the late 1970s, before Thomas began concentrating on producing other artists, that included: Robert Ffrench, Anthony Johnson, Triston Palma, Johnny Osbourne, Michael Palmer, Barry Brown, Barrington Levy, Sugar Minott, Early B, Ranking Toyan, and Robin Hood, at the same time setting up the Midnight Rock record label, one of the most successful performer-owned labels of the period. Midnight Rock soon had a hit record in the shape of Thomas's "Cricket Lovely Cricket". Thomas would often use the mixing talents of Scientist, and the Roots Radics band. He later also set up the Nura label.
He is the father of reggae singer Da'Ville and singer/producer Dwight Thomas.