Frankie Paul

Frankie Paul
Birth name Paul Blake
Born (1965-10-19)19 October 1965
Kingston, Jamaica
Died 18 May 2017(2017-05-18) (aged 51)
Kingston, Jamaica
Genres Reggae, dancehall, lovers rock
Years active 1980–2017
Labels VP, Jammy's, RAS

Paul Blake (19 October 1965[1] – 18 May 2017), better known as Frankie Paul, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Born blind, he has been dubbed by some 'The Jamaican Stevie Wonder'.

Biography

Born in Jamaica in 1965,[2] Blake was born blind but as a child had his sight partially restored by an operation on a hospital ship.[3][4] He sang for, and impressed Stevie Wonder when Wonder visited the school that Blake attended, prompting him to pursue a singing career.[3]

Adopting the stage name Frankie Paul, he first found fame in the early 1980s, and he recorded prolifically throughout the decade.[3] He has recorded for virtually every producer/studio in Jamaica at some time, and has been known to release several albums a year.

Notable works of Frankie Paul include the popular "Sara" and "Worries in the Dance".[5]

Paul has resided in The Gambia since 1994.[5] In January 2016 he underwent surgery to amputate a foot and part of his leg.[6]

Frankie Paul died on 18 May 2017 at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica[7]

Citation

"Frankie Paul has a voice that improves with each release and, although initially compared with Dennis Brown, he has evolved a strange nasal, throaty style that makes him sound much older. It's the sheer exuberance of his best performances that give away his youthfulness, and his two London appearances have been joyous occasions." - NME (4 May 1985)[8]

Discography

Albums

References

  1. ↑ The Reggae & African Beat, Volumes 6-7, 1987, Bongo Productions, p. 18
  2. ↑ Steve Huey. "Frankie Paul | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  3. 1 2 3 Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 219-220
  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. 233
  5. 1 2 "Singer Frankie Paul takes stand". Jamaica Observer. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Bonitto, Brian (2016) "Frankie Paul on the mend", Jamaica Observer, 21 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016
  7. ↑ Henry, Balford (2017) "Reggae singer Frankie Paul is dead", Jamaica Observer, 19 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017
  8. ↑ Archived 22 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ Archived 22 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ David Jeffries (2011-06-07). "Most Wanted - Frankie Paul | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
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