Little John (musician)

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Little John
Birth nameJohn McMorris
Born1970 (age 53–54)
Kingston, Jamaica
OriginKingston, Jamaica
GenresReggae, dancehall
Occupation(s)Singer
Years activeLate 1970s–present
Websitewww.facebook.com/littlejohn.mcmorris/

John McMorris (born 1970), better known as Little John, is a Jamaican dancehall musician best known for his 1980s recordings.

Biography[edit]

Born 1970 in Kingston, Jamaica,[1] Little John was so called as he began performing and recording at the age of nine.[2] He first recorded for Captain Sinbad's Youth in Progress label (including debut single "51 Storm"), and is regarded by some as the first dancehall singer, known for his ability to create lyrics over any backing track.[2] After getting joining Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion organisation, he performed with sound systems such as Romantic Hi Fi, Kilimanjaro, Gemini, and Henry "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano Hi Power.[2][3] He recorded for many producers in the 1980s, notably for Lawes, Joseph Hoo Kim, George Phang, Jah Thomas, and King Jammy.[2]

He performed at Reggae Sumfest in 2010, where he paid tribute to Sugar Minott.[4]

Discography[edit]

  • Janet Sinclair (single, 1982), Greensleeves – with Billy Boyo
  • Reggae Dance (1982), Midnight Rock
  • Showdown vol. 1 (1984), Empire/Hitbound – with Barry Brown
  • English Woman (1983), Gorgon
  • Ghetto Youth (1983), Jah Guidance – reissued (1990), RAS
  • Give the Youth a Try (1983), Live & Learn
  • Show Case 83 (1983), EAD
  • Showdown vol. 6 (1984), Hitbound – with Frankie Paul
  • True Confession (1984), Power House
  • Unite (1984), Vista Sounds
  • Clarks Booty (1985), Live & Love
  • River to the Bank (1985), Power House
  • The Best of Little John (1985), RM
  • Worries and Trouble (1985), Black Scorpio
  • Rubber Dub One (1986), C&E
  • Youth of Today (1986), Skengdon
  • Dance Hall Clash (1986), Sunset – with Uglyman
  • Warriors & Trouble (1986), World Enterprise
  • Showcase Volume 1 (198?), Sir Tommy's – with Trevor Junior
  • Boombastic (1990), Heartbeat - produced by Winston Holness[5]
  • Build Back Yard (2006), Johnhouse
Compilations
  • Early Days (1984), Jah Bible

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Little John". AllMusic.
  2. ^ a b c d Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books. p. 171. ISBN 0-7535-0242-9.
  3. ^ Lesser, Beth (2008). Dancehall: The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture. Soul Jazz. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-9554817-1-0.
  4. ^ Peru, Yasmine (29 July 2010). "Reggae Sumfest: The good, the bad and the muddy". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  5. ^ Dougan, John. "Boombastic Review". AllMusic.