Little John (musician)

Little John
Birth name John McMorris
Born 1970
Origin Kingston, Jamaica
Genres Reggae, dancehall
Occupation(s) Singer
Instruments Vocals
Years active Late 1970s–present

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

History

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 his break with 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 continued to record in the 1990s including the Winston Holness-produced Boombastic (1990),[4] and in the 21st century released the album Build Back Yard (2006). He also continued to perform live, including paying tribute to the late Sugar Minott at Reggae Sumfest in 2010.[5]

Discography

Compilations

References

  1. "Little John", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-04-08
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 171
  3. Lesser, Beth (2008) Dancehall: The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture, Soul Jazz, ISBN 978-0-9554817-1-0, p. 134
  4. Dougan, John "Boombastic Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2011-04-08
  5. Peru, Yasmine (2010) "Reggae Sumfest: The good, the bad and the muddy", Jamaica Observer, 30 July 2010, retrieved 2011-04-09