Horace Andy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Horace Andy
At Bestival 2007
Background information
Birth name	Horace Hinds
Born	19 February 1951 (1951-02-19) (age 57)
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genre(s)	Reggae
Instrument(s)	vocals
Years active	1967 - Present
Associated acts	Massive Attack Easy Star All-Stars

Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951, Kingston, Jamaica), is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his falsetto vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "You Are My Angel", "Skylarking" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine".

[edit] Biography

Andy is a cousin of singer Justin Hinds. He made his earliest recordings in the late 1960s, at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One. Known for his distinctive falsetto vocal style, he sang on many classic productions for reggae producers, including Phil Pratt, King Tubby and Prince Jammy.

He continued recording music through the 1970s, and relocated to London, England in the mid-80s. Andy found a new generation of fans in the 1990s, thanks to his work with trip hop pioneers Massive Attack, including "Angel", a reworking of "You Are My Angel". He continues to record new music, with an album called Living in the Flood released in 1999 on Massive Attack's Melankolic record label, and Mek It Bun in 2002. He also featured on the world music project, 1 Giant Leap, and on the Easy Star All-Stars 2006 album, Radiodread.

He is a devout Rastafarian and, like many reggae singers, much of his material deals with themes of religion and social justice.^[who?] Some of his lyrics have also been considered to be contentious, although he is adamant that his aim is to unite communities: "My music supports social and political awareness of minority groups and underpriveleged communities around the world. I have never encouraged hatred or violence again any group in society. I hope to help bring communities together through my music."