Burro Banton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Burro Banton | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | toasting |
Burro Banton (born Donovan Spalding, December 27, 1960, Kingston, Jamaica) is a dancehall reggae deejay popular in the mid-1980s and 1990s.
He is most famous for his anthem "Boom Wah Dis", which was recorded on the Steely & Clevie riddim called Street Sweeper.
Burro emerged during the mid-1980s at the beginning of the digital dancehall craze started by King Jammy that also featured artists like Cutty Ranks. He is known for his very aggressive style; deep, gruff voice; and was the inspiration for many modern dancehall artists like Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, and Elephant Man.
[edit] History
DJ-ing from a youth in the late 1970s, Banton would look to Ranking Joe for inspiration. It was around 1978 he first linked with the first sound system called Black Hoover, then he moved to Roots Unlimited sound system. He finally made the big time in 1982 while DJing for Gemini sound system and continued throughout 1984. Through the middle and late-1980s, he DJed for Volcano sound system and Kilamanjaro sound system, where he was featured with Super Cat and Nicodemus.
He did his first recording with legendary producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes, Volcano's owner, and released his first LP in 1985. Burro Banton rode (recorded on) original riddims made with real drums and bass guitar, pre-drum machine and digital computerization.
As the 1990s approached, Burro Banton continued working with Super Cat and Nicodemus. Super Cat formed the "Wild Apache" label, where Burro recorded his first recording of a #1 hit, "Boom Wah Dis." When Super Cat signed with Columbia/SME Records, Burro Banton joined forces with the ace producer Bobby Konders and the Massive B label in 1992. Here, Burro Banton recorded numerous #1 hits including "Washington Session", "Tek a Set,", "Westmoreland Sensi", and many more.
Massive B released Burro's second LP, "The Original Banton", in 1995-96. When 1998 rolled around, Burro continued recording with Massive B and was sought out by Steelie and Clevie, one of Jamaica's most respected production teams. Steelie's ingeneous intuition suggested that he revoiced "Boom Wah Dis" on the deadly Street Sweeper riddim. Burro agreed and scored another #1 hit from Kingston, Jamaica, to New York to Miami and beyond. It was in heavy rotation around the world for many months in reggae and Caribbean-music circles.
[edit] 2000 and Beyond
Extending his recording career with Massive B in 2000, his releases titled "Politicians" on the Lickshot Rewind riddim delves into hard time in the ghetto of Kingston and wishes the politicians would keep their promises of a better life. In addition, he released "Phenomenon 2" on the Dun Dem riddim, bigging up all the ganja man. His latest efforts on Massive B's Rock, Penicillin, and Tempo riddims features a #1 European single called "Jah Jah Rules."
Burro Banton has been touring constantly over the last ten years across Asia, Europe, and throughout North America. He has shared the stage with Capleton and Bounty Killer, just to name a few and stands out in his performances due to his originality.[1]
Burro Banton continues to record commercially successful and critically acclaimed music, including his recent hit song Badder Dan Dem, which is featured on the dedicated Massive B radio station in the videogame Grand Theft Auto IV.
