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Ken Boothe

Had Ken Boothe been born in the American South, Ken Boothe would have undoubtedly been heralded as one of the finest Soul singers of his generation. His unmistakable soulful tenor has graced some of the most memorable Reggae hits of the past forty years, with his hugely popular 1974 version of Bread’s ‘Everything I Own’ and its popular follow-up, ‘Crying Over You’ perhaps the most recognisable to international audiences. In the years since, he has remained at the forefront of the Jamaican music industry, with the likes of Boy George and UB40 recently paying tribute to his immense talent.

Like many of his Jamaican contemporaries, his initial break into the recording industry came via the seemingly ubiquitous Coxson Dodd, who produced the singer’s debut effort, ‘Prevention’, around the close of 1961. Although Boothe showed immense maturity and talent for one so young, it was his subsequent recordings partnering Wilburn ‘Stranger’ Cole that catapulted him into the spotlight.      

In 1966, Stranger & Ken parted company and Boothe finally achieved notability as a performer in his own right, cutting a series of outstanding releases for Dodd, who in 1967 also issued the singer’s debut album, ‘Mr Rocksteady’.       Throughout the remainder of the decade and into the next, Boothe’s career remained on the ascendant, with a string of local hits for an array of producers, most notably, Lloyd Charmers, with whom he worked regularly from 1971 onwards. Late in 1973, Charmers produced Boothe’s chart-topping version of Bread’s ‘Everything I Own’, became one of the best-selling Reggae 45s of all time and provided the blueprint for Boy George’s equally successful 1987 version.      

Boothe followed his number one hit with ‘Crying Over You’, which climbed to number 11 early in 1975 and although he has yet to repeat commercial success on such a grand scale, he is still regarded as one of the most respected and popular vocalists in Reggae music.

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