Uziah Thompson

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Uziah "Sticky" Thompson
Also known as Cool Sticky
Born (1936-08-01) August 1, 1936
Mannings Mountain, Jamaica
Genres Ska, rocksteady, reggae
Occupations Deejay, musician, record producer
Instruments Percussion, drums
Years active Late 1950s–present
Associated acts The Revolutionaries, Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru

Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (born August 1, 1936)[1] is a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active since the late 1950s. He has worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums.

Biography

Thompson was born the third of five children in the rural Mannings Mountain district of Jamaica.[1] Due to his family's poverty he was unable to complete his education and moved to Kingston at the age of 15 in search of work.[1] He found employment with Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, assisting him with running his sound system, in time becoming a deejay with the system under the name 'Cool Sticky'.[1] He became one of the earliest men to record in the new deejay style, using his mouth to make clicks and other percussive sounds. As a deejay he recorded with The Skatalites and can be heard on the tracks "Ball Of Fire", "El Pussy Cat Ska", "Guns of Navarone", as well as others.[1] While working for Dodd he began a friendship with Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Thompson recorded as a deejay for Perry, and for Joe Gibbs in the late 1960s, on tracks such as "Train to Soulsville".[1]

Thompson rose to prominence as an instrumentalist in the early 1970s, beginning with a session by The Wailers for Perry in 1970,[1] soon becoming one of Jamaica's top percussionists.[2] He became a regular session musician in several studios, including playing as a member of Gibbs' house band The Revolutionaries,[3] recording prolifically throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and appearing on recordings by artists including Big Youth, Dennis Brown, The Congos, Culture (including Two Sevens Clash), Peter Tosh, Burning Spear (Dry and Heavy), Yabby You (Beware Dub), and The Wailing Souls.[2][4][5] He also performed as part of the live bands of several artists including Jimmy Cliff (playing on the 1976 album In Concert and playing in his Oneness band).[2][6] In the 1980s, Thompson was a regular member of Black Uhuru, playing on their early 1980s albums Sinsemilla, Red, Chill Out, and Dub Factor.[2] Thompson continued to play regularly on studio sessions for artists such as Bunny Wailer, Grace Jones (as a member of the Compass Point All Stars),[7] Gregory Isaacs, and Ziggy Marley throughout the 1980s and 1990s. More recently he has recorded with Stephen Marley (the Grammy-winning Mind Control),[8] Sinéad O'Connor,[9] and Michael Franti.[10]

Sticky has remained active in the Jamaican music industry. In the 2000s he moved into production,[2] and toured the world with Ziggy Marley's band.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Katz, David (2000) People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry, Payback Press, ISBN 0-86241-854-2, p. 54, 113
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p. 294-5
  3. ↑ Bradley, Lloyd (2000) This Is Reggae Music, Grove Press, ISBN 0-8021-3828-4, p. 358
  4. ↑ Campbell, Howard (2009) "Hand drummers take centre stage", Jamaica Gleaner, September 29, 2009, retrieved 2010-03-21
  5. ↑ Grass, Randall (2009) Great Spirits: Portraits of Life-changing World Music Artists, University Press of Mississippi, ISBN 978-1-60473-240-5, p. 193
  6. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 78
  7. ↑ O'Brien, Glenn (1987) "Platter du Jour: Grace Jones - Inside Story", SPIN, January 1987, retrieved 2010-03-21
  8. ↑ "Tuff Gong celebrates Ziggy, Stephen Grammy wins", Jamaica Observer, March 13, 2010, retrieved 2010-03-21
  9. ↑ Cooke, Mel (2005) "Sinead presents 'Rasta record'", Jamaica Gleaner, August 10, 2005, retrieved 2010-03-21
  10. ↑ Campbell, Howard (2009) "Journeyman Michael Franti finds right formula in Kingston", Jamaica Gleaner, November 22, 2009, retrieved 2010-03-21

External links

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