| Tiger | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Norman Washington Jackson |
| Born | 1960 |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae, dancehall |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1978–1993, 2003 |
| Labels | RAS, Mango, Jammy's, VP, Rohit, Penthouse, Columbia |
Norman Washington Jackson (born 1960), better known as Tiger, is a Jamaican dancehall musician active since the late 1970s. He is known for his "growling" style of deejaying, often imitated by other dancehall deejays since his initial rise to fame.[1]
Jackson was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1960.[2][3] He first recorded as a singer under the name Ranking Tiger, his first single being "Why Can't You Leave Dreadlocks Alone?" in 1978.[2] In the early 1980s he began working as a deejay with the Black Star sound system, often performing alongside fellow deejay Bruk Back and singer Anthony Malvo.[2]
In 1985 and 1986 he had several local hits including "No Wanga Gut" and "No Puppy Love".[2][3] He was signed by Mango Records who released his debut album, Me Name Tiger, in 1986.[2] In the second half of the 1980s he became a major star of Jamaican music, known for his style that has been described as "multi-voiced and totally deranged", and recorded for producers including Harry J, King Jammy, Gussie Clarke, Sly & Robbie, Philip "Fatis" Burrell, and Donovan Germain.[2][3][4] He also began producing himself, and started his own Tiger label.[2] His single "Cool Me Down" was included on the soundtrack to the film Cool Runnings.[5] In 1989 he became one of the first ragga artists to cross over into the US hip hop scene when he duetted with The Fat Boys on "T'ings Nah Go So".[2] Success continued in the 1990s and he was signed via his Chaos production company to Columbia Records, his first album for the label Claws of the Cat in 1993.[2]
Soon after his major label debut, Jackson was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, in December 1993.[2] His recovery was slow, and the injury affected his voice to the point he was no longer able to record or perform to his previous capacity. However, in 2003 he returned to live performance as part of the 'Dons of Dancehall' UK tour.[3] He also appeared at Reggae Sumfest alongside deejay Kiprich in 2007, as well as the 2010 "Reewind and Come Again" in New York, which featured a host of dancehall performers from the 1980s and early 1990s.[1][6]