Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dan… Read Full Bio ↴Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, as a youngster, Barrington Levy formed the Mighty Multitude with his cousin Everton Dacres. They started off playing the sound systems and cut their first single, โMy Black Girl,โ in 1977. All of 14, Levy broke out his own the next year and recorded his debut solo single, A Long Time Since We Donโt Have No Love.โ It didnโt have much of an impact, however the teenโs appearances in the dancehalls were eagerly awaited events. It was at one of these that Levy met former singer turned producer Junjo Lawes and Mew York-based producer Hyman โJah Lifeโ Wright. The pair took the youth into King Tubbyโs studio, accompanied by the Roots Radics, and recorded a clutch of cuts. The first fruits of this union were โAh Yah We Deh,โ quickly followed by โLooking My Loveโ, and โ Wedding Ring Aside.โ Success was immediate, but it was the mighty โCollie Weedโ that really cemented the teenโs hold of dancehall.
โShine Eye Girlโ, was a smash follow up, and the young Levy was now in great demand. A stream of singles followed โJumpy Girlโ, a lovely version of Horace Andyโs โSkylarkingโ, โReggae Musicโ, Levy joined forces with producer Alvin Ranglin for another sting of hitsโโNever Tear My Love Apart,โ โJahโ, โYou Made Me So Happy,โ and โWhen Youโre Young and in Love.โLevyโs rich vocals were made for duets, both with other vocalists and DJโs , and it wasnโt long before the young star was also recording collaborative singles. Toyan was a great foil on โCall You on the Phoneโโ, he paired with Jah Thomas on โMoonlight Loverโ and โSister Debbyโ, and joined forces with Trinity for โLose Respectโ and a follow-up, โI Need a Girlโ in 1980. That same year, Levy made a sensational appearance at Reggae Sunsplash, then returned in 1981. During these early years, the singer seemingly spent all of his time between the recording studios and the dancehalls. Amidst the deluge of singles, four albums arrived as well between 1979 and 1980. First up was Bounty Hunter, which boosted three smash singlesโโReggae Musicโ, โShine Eye Girlโ, and โLooking My Loveโ โand a clutch of other tracks that were just about as good. In Britain, the Burning Sounds label released Shine Eye Gal, also a hits heavy package which included the title track-track, โCollie Weedโ, and โAh Yah We Deh.โ It was swiftly followed by the mighty Englishman, an absolutely fabulous record which was overseen by the unbeatable studio grouping of Junjo Lawes and two of King Tubbyโs protรฉgรฉsโScientist and Prince Jammy. A veteran of the clubs, he brought the spontaneity of the DJ to his records while returning vocals back to the sound system scene which had been purely the realm of the Djs. Utilizing old roots rhythms revitalized by the Radics, and giving the songs a hard, but danceable edge, Lawes and Levy together helped establish a whole new dancehall sound.
1980โs Robin Hood merely affirmed that everyone in Jamaica already knew: That Levy was now the biggest star on t he island, with a talent that was unbeatable. Or more accurately, he was king of the singers, because ruling beside him was DJ Yellowman, another Lawesโ discovery, that was brought to him by Barrington Levy. Robin Hood was as big as its predecessor and was beginning to have an impact in Britain as well, where both it and Englishman had been released by the Greensleeves label. Not surprisingly, both albums heavy rhythms would provide the building blocks for the Scientist V Prince Jammy dub clash album. Unfortunately, Levyโs very popularity was now beginning to have some serious drawbacks. Even before stardom arrived, the singer had noticed with delight fans tapping his sets at the dancehalls, and these tapes were coming back to haunt him. Suddenly, the shelves were buckling under the weight of the bootlegged albums, featuring not just older pirated live material, but also unreleased outtakes and recycled older singles. In response, Levy didnโt release a new album for two years, but in the meantime, new singles more then made up for it. From 1980 came such hits as the haunting Lawes-produced โMary Long Tongueโ producer Linval Thompsonโs โToo Poor,โ and a string if hits cut with Karl Pitterson, including โ I Have a Problemโ and โEven Tide Fire a Disasterโ. And as the decade progressed, the flood hits continued. โIโm Not in Loveโ, โYou Have Itโ, โTomorrow Is Another Dayโ, โRobbermanโ, โBlackRoseโ โMy Womenโ, and โMoney Moveโ were just a small number of the hits released between 1981 and 1983, with the latter song the biggest smash of the batch. Levy even tried his hand at self-production, recording such excellent songs as โIn the Darkโ and โLove of Jah.โ Amongst there were fabulous singles recorded for Joe Gibbs, โMy Womenโ included. The Reggae Vibes album would bundle up Levyโs best with the producer, s well a number of cuts from fellow dancehall singer Sammy Dread.
1983 finally saw the release of Levy album โMoney Moveโ. The latter was excellently overseen by George Phang and boasted a stupendous group of rhythms that Sly & Robbie had specifically made for the producer. In the U.K, the burning sounds label also released Hunter Man, a greatest-hits collection. But the hits were still coming on strong; in 1984 none were bigger then Levy and Jah Screw produced โUnder Mi Sensi.โ The pair would also record a new album that year, Here I come, whose title-track would the top 50 in the U.K The album itself took Britain by storm and ensured that Levy walked away with the best Vocalist Award at Britainโs Reggae Awards. It was also these songs that secured his spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the first reggae artist to hold both 1st and 2nd place slots in the charts. The same year, the singer also joined forces with another young singer who was tearing up the dance floors, Frankie Paul, for the intriguing sound clash set Barrington Levy meets Frankie Paul. 1985 brought Prison Oval Rock (the Volcano Jamaican label release, and not to be confused with the RAS labelโs U.S. compilation of the same title), which found the singer joining forces with Lawes again, for another roots-fired set equal to its predecessors. It had been six years since Levy burst onto the scene with all the force of a nuclear weapon. Now in his early twenties, the singerโs output significantly began to slow. He did return to Reggae Sunsplash in 1987 and would remain a top attraction at the festival until 1985. He also released โLove the Life you Liveโ in 1988, a rather patchy effort compared to previous releases. It was to be his last new album until 1991.But Levy wasnโt a spent force yet. Before the 80โs were over, he scored tow more hits with โMy Timeโ and โToo Experienceโ, both under the aegis of producer Jah Screw, and both covers of songs written by Bob Andy (ex-Paragons and also of Bob & Marcia fame).
Signing with MCA in t he U.S., Levy attempted to cross over into the North American market with 1983โs Barrington. Produced by Lee Jaffe, the Album featured a re-recorded โUnder Mi Sensiโ, and boasted strong songs as โMurdererโ and โVice Versa Loveโ and โBe Strongโ, a major hit in the Caribbean and South America. However, the relationship with MCA was not a happy one and Levy quickly departed. Meanwhile, back in Britain, the singer was chalking up another hit with โWorkโ. In 1994, Levy was joined by Beenie man on the singles โTwo Soundsโ and โMurdererโ. Both soon reappeared as fiery jungles remixes, with โSensiโ, in particular, mashing up the dance floors.
Under Jack Scorpioโs direction, the singer next paired with Mega Banton for โSheโs Mineโ. Jah Screw took these collaborations to the next logical step, and recorded an entire album and recorded and entire album of shared songs, Duets (this is its American title and it was released in the U.s. by RAS, and in the U.K., Levyโs relationship with Greensleeves continued, where the album there was titled Barrington Levyโs DJ Counteraction). From this set, โLiving Dangerouslyโ with Bounty Killer rocketed up the Jamaican charts and set pace at clubs around the world . Time Capsule came hot on its heels in 1996, a short album (a mere eight tracks plus five dubs), which more than made up for lack of quantity with quality.Over the next two years, his circle of friends was obviously growing, and 1998โs re-make of โMurdererโ featured such diverse artists as rap master Snoop Doggy Dogg and Southern California punk-reggae heroes Long Beach Dub All-Stars. In 2003, his debut album Bounty Hunter was reordered and reissued as Moonlight Lover on the Burning Bush label. Two years later, the Sanctuary label collected his recordings with Henry Lawes and Alvin Ranglin for โLove Your Brother man: The Early Tearโ. Numerous compilations have continued to appear featuring much of the singerโs greatest work.He was also featured in 2000 on rapper on Shyneโs debut album โBad Boyzโ, with two singles โBad Boyzโ which was number 1 on the hip-hop charts, and โBonnie and Shynz.
Barrington Levy continues to tour extensively, selling out shows all over the world. He is currently working in an album which will be titled โIts About Timeโ and he has said it will be his last. This album will feature artist like Damion Marley, Buji Banton, Beres Hammond, Heavy D and a lot more surprises. He expresses love and appreciation to all his fans across the world, and looks forward to seeing you in future events.
Levy's son Krishane is also a musician, and is signed to Atlantic Records.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, as a youngster, Barrington Levy formed the Mighty Multitude with his cousin Everton Dacres. They started off playing the sound systems and cut their first single, โMy Black Girl,โ in 1977. All of 14, Levy broke out his own the next year and recorded his debut solo single, A Long Time Since We Donโt Have No Love.โ It didnโt have much of an impact, however the teenโs appearances in the dancehalls were eagerly awaited events. It was at one of these that Levy met former singer turned producer Junjo Lawes and Mew York-based producer Hyman โJah Lifeโ Wright. The pair took the youth into King Tubbyโs studio, accompanied by the Roots Radics, and recorded a clutch of cuts. The first fruits of this union were โAh Yah We Deh,โ quickly followed by โLooking My Loveโ, and โ Wedding Ring Aside.โ Success was immediate, but it was the mighty โCollie Weedโ that really cemented the teenโs hold of dancehall.
โShine Eye Girlโ, was a smash follow up, and the young Levy was now in great demand. A stream of singles followed โJumpy Girlโ, a lovely version of Horace Andyโs โSkylarkingโ, โReggae Musicโ, Levy joined forces with producer Alvin Ranglin for another sting of hitsโโNever Tear My Love Apart,โ โJahโ, โYou Made Me So Happy,โ and โWhen Youโre Young and in Love.โLevyโs rich vocals were made for duets, both with other vocalists and DJโs , and it wasnโt long before the young star was also recording collaborative singles. Toyan was a great foil on โCall You on the Phoneโโ, he paired with Jah Thomas on โMoonlight Loverโ and โSister Debbyโ, and joined forces with Trinity for โLose Respectโ and a follow-up, โI Need a Girlโ in 1980. That same year, Levy made a sensational appearance at Reggae Sunsplash, then returned in 1981. During these early years, the singer seemingly spent all of his time between the recording studios and the dancehalls. Amidst the deluge of singles, four albums arrived as well between 1979 and 1980. First up was Bounty Hunter, which boosted three smash singlesโโReggae Musicโ, โShine Eye Girlโ, and โLooking My Loveโ โand a clutch of other tracks that were just about as good. In Britain, the Burning Sounds label released Shine Eye Gal, also a hits heavy package which included the title track-track, โCollie Weedโ, and โAh Yah We Deh.โ It was swiftly followed by the mighty Englishman, an absolutely fabulous record which was overseen by the unbeatable studio grouping of Junjo Lawes and two of King Tubbyโs protรฉgรฉsโScientist and Prince Jammy. A veteran of the clubs, he brought the spontaneity of the DJ to his records while returning vocals back to the sound system scene which had been purely the realm of the Djs. Utilizing old roots rhythms revitalized by the Radics, and giving the songs a hard, but danceable edge, Lawes and Levy together helped establish a whole new dancehall sound.
1980โs Robin Hood merely affirmed that everyone in Jamaica already knew: That Levy was now the biggest star on t he island, with a talent that was unbeatable. Or more accurately, he was king of the singers, because ruling beside him was DJ Yellowman, another Lawesโ discovery, that was brought to him by Barrington Levy. Robin Hood was as big as its predecessor and was beginning to have an impact in Britain as well, where both it and Englishman had been released by the Greensleeves label. Not surprisingly, both albums heavy rhythms would provide the building blocks for the Scientist V Prince Jammy dub clash album. Unfortunately, Levyโs very popularity was now beginning to have some serious drawbacks. Even before stardom arrived, the singer had noticed with delight fans tapping his sets at the dancehalls, and these tapes were coming back to haunt him. Suddenly, the shelves were buckling under the weight of the bootlegged albums, featuring not just older pirated live material, but also unreleased outtakes and recycled older singles. In response, Levy didnโt release a new album for two years, but in the meantime, new singles more then made up for it. From 1980 came such hits as the haunting Lawes-produced โMary Long Tongueโ producer Linval Thompsonโs โToo Poor,โ and a string if hits cut with Karl Pitterson, including โ I Have a Problemโ and โEven Tide Fire a Disasterโ. And as the decade progressed, the flood hits continued. โIโm Not in Loveโ, โYou Have Itโ, โTomorrow Is Another Dayโ, โRobbermanโ, โBlackRoseโ โMy Womenโ, and โMoney Moveโ were just a small number of the hits released between 1981 and 1983, with the latter song the biggest smash of the batch. Levy even tried his hand at self-production, recording such excellent songs as โIn the Darkโ and โLove of Jah.โ Amongst there were fabulous singles recorded for Joe Gibbs, โMy Womenโ included. The Reggae Vibes album would bundle up Levyโs best with the producer, s well a number of cuts from fellow dancehall singer Sammy Dread.
1983 finally saw the release of Levy album โMoney Moveโ. The latter was excellently overseen by George Phang and boasted a stupendous group of rhythms that Sly & Robbie had specifically made for the producer. In the U.K, the burning sounds label also released Hunter Man, a greatest-hits collection. But the hits were still coming on strong; in 1984 none were bigger then Levy and Jah Screw produced โUnder Mi Sensi.โ The pair would also record a new album that year, Here I come, whose title-track would the top 50 in the U.K The album itself took Britain by storm and ensured that Levy walked away with the best Vocalist Award at Britainโs Reggae Awards. It was also these songs that secured his spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the first reggae artist to hold both 1st and 2nd place slots in the charts. The same year, the singer also joined forces with another young singer who was tearing up the dance floors, Frankie Paul, for the intriguing sound clash set Barrington Levy meets Frankie Paul. 1985 brought Prison Oval Rock (the Volcano Jamaican label release, and not to be confused with the RAS labelโs U.S. compilation of the same title), which found the singer joining forces with Lawes again, for another roots-fired set equal to its predecessors. It had been six years since Levy burst onto the scene with all the force of a nuclear weapon. Now in his early twenties, the singerโs output significantly began to slow. He did return to Reggae Sunsplash in 1987 and would remain a top attraction at the festival until 1985. He also released โLove the Life you Liveโ in 1988, a rather patchy effort compared to previous releases. It was to be his last new album until 1991.But Levy wasnโt a spent force yet. Before the 80โs were over, he scored tow more hits with โMy Timeโ and โToo Experienceโ, both under the aegis of producer Jah Screw, and both covers of songs written by Bob Andy (ex-Paragons and also of Bob & Marcia fame).
Signing with MCA in t he U.S., Levy attempted to cross over into the North American market with 1983โs Barrington. Produced by Lee Jaffe, the Album featured a re-recorded โUnder Mi Sensiโ, and boasted strong songs as โMurdererโ and โVice Versa Loveโ and โBe Strongโ, a major hit in the Caribbean and South America. However, the relationship with MCA was not a happy one and Levy quickly departed. Meanwhile, back in Britain, the singer was chalking up another hit with โWorkโ. In 1994, Levy was joined by Beenie man on the singles โTwo Soundsโ and โMurdererโ. Both soon reappeared as fiery jungles remixes, with โSensiโ, in particular, mashing up the dance floors.
Under Jack Scorpioโs direction, the singer next paired with Mega Banton for โSheโs Mineโ. Jah Screw took these collaborations to the next logical step, and recorded an entire album and recorded and entire album of shared songs, Duets (this is its American title and it was released in the U.s. by RAS, and in the U.K., Levyโs relationship with Greensleeves continued, where the album there was titled Barrington Levyโs DJ Counteraction). From this set, โLiving Dangerouslyโ with Bounty Killer rocketed up the Jamaican charts and set pace at clubs around the world . Time Capsule came hot on its heels in 1996, a short album (a mere eight tracks plus five dubs), which more than made up for lack of quantity with quality.Over the next two years, his circle of friends was obviously growing, and 1998โs re-make of โMurdererโ featured such diverse artists as rap master Snoop Doggy Dogg and Southern California punk-reggae heroes Long Beach Dub All-Stars. In 2003, his debut album Bounty Hunter was reordered and reissued as Moonlight Lover on the Burning Bush label. Two years later, the Sanctuary label collected his recordings with Henry Lawes and Alvin Ranglin for โLove Your Brother man: The Early Tearโ. Numerous compilations have continued to appear featuring much of the singerโs greatest work.He was also featured in 2000 on rapper on Shyneโs debut album โBad Boyzโ, with two singles โBad Boyzโ which was number 1 on the hip-hop charts, and โBonnie and Shynz.
Barrington Levy continues to tour extensively, selling out shows all over the world. He is currently working in an album which will be titled โIts About Timeโ and he has said it will be his last. This album will feature artist like Damion Marley, Buji Banton, Beres Hammond, Heavy D and a lot more surprises. He expresses love and appreciation to all his fans across the world, and looks forward to seeing you in future events.
Levy's son Krishane is also a musician, and is signed to Atlantic Records.
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Divine
Barrington Levy Lyrics
Don't Throw It All Away Here we go Breaking up what we have built Leaving out all…
Here I Come On the intercom, Rosie tell me to come 'Cause she didn't…
Living Dangerously Lawd a mercy Lawd a mercy Lawd a mercy (Oooh who) Man a…
My Time My resistance is getting weaker I cant stand the pressure I …
Too Experienced She doesn't want me around She's got something to hide I thi…