Jah Woosh
Encyclopedia
Neville Beckford better known as Jah Woosh was a Jamaica
n reggae
deejay
and record producer
, primarily known for his work in the 1970s.
, Beckford served an apprenticeship as a mechanic before forming a duo with Reggae George, Neville & George, and auditioning for Jamaica's top producers. Unsuccessful as a duo, they both went on to solo careers. Beckford became the resident deejay on Prince Lloyd's sound system, and was noticed by producer George Bell, who took him into the studio to record "Angela Davis
", now under the pseudonym Jah Woosh. Although the single was not a hit, it prompted Rupie Edwards
to produce the debut album, Jah Woosh, released in 1974 on the United Kingdom
Cactus label. Chalice Blaze and Psalms of Wisdom followed in 1976, these three albums establishing a reputation in the UK. A string of albums and singles followed through the 1970s and early 1980s.
Woosh also contributed to Adrian Sherwood
's Singers & Players
collective.
Beckford also worked as a producer, self-producing much of his work from 1976 onwards, and producing other artists such as Bim Sherman
, Horace Andy
, Larry Marshall, and his old friend Reggae George. He set up the "Original Music" record label, through which he has reissued some of his 1970s material.
He died on 21 February 2011, aged 58.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, primarily known for his work in the 1970s.
Biography
Born in Kingston, JamaicaKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Beckford served an apprenticeship as a mechanic before forming a duo with Reggae George, Neville & George, and auditioning for Jamaica's top producers. Unsuccessful as a duo, they both went on to solo careers. Beckford became the resident deejay on Prince Lloyd's sound system, and was noticed by producer George Bell, who took him into the studio to record "Angela Davis
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis was most politically active during the late 1960s through the 1970s and was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party...
", now under the pseudonym Jah Woosh. Although the single was not a hit, it prompted Rupie Edwards
Rupie Edwards
Rupie Edwards is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.-Biography:...
to produce the debut album, Jah Woosh, released in 1974 on the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Cactus label. Chalice Blaze and Psalms of Wisdom followed in 1976, these three albums establishing a reputation in the UK. A string of albums and singles followed through the 1970s and early 1980s.
Woosh also contributed to Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...
's Singers & Players
Singers & Players
Singers & Players were a reggae collective made up of vocalists and musicians associated with Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound Records. They recorded five albums between 1981 and 1988....
collective.
Beckford also worked as a producer, self-producing much of his work from 1976 onwards, and producing other artists such as Bim Sherman
Bim Sherman
Jarret Lloyd Vincent better known by one of his stage aliases Bim Sherman, was a Jamaican musician and singer-songwriter.-Biography:...
, Horace Andy
Horace Andy
Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....
, Larry Marshall, and his old friend Reggae George. He set up the "Original Music" record label, through which he has reissued some of his 1970s material.
He died on 21 February 2011, aged 58.
Albums
- Jah Woosh (1974) Cactus
- Psalms of Wisdom (1976) Ja-Man/Black Wax
- Chalice Blaze (1976) Midnite/Student
- Dreadlocks Affair (1976) TrojanTrojan RecordsTrojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
- Loaded with TNT (1976) Trenchtown
- Jah Jah Dey Dey (1976) Cactus
- Lick Him With The Dustbin (1977) K&B
- Gathering Israel (1978) Dread & Dread
- Religious Dread (1978) Trojan
- Gun Fight At OK Karrol (1978) Pioneer International
- Ital Movement (197?) Abraham
- Marijuana World Tour (1979) Creation Rebel
- Rebellion (1981) Form (with Sis Bee)
- Rastaman (1981) German LP
- Sing And Chant Jah Woosh (1982) September
- Some Sign (1985) Sky Juice
- Fire In a Blackamix (1993) Blackamix (with Mixman)
Compilations
- We Chat You Rock (1987) Trojan (with I-RoyI-RoyRoy Samuel Reid better known as I-Roy was a Jamaican DJ who had a very prolific career during the 1970s.-Biography:...
) - The Best of Jah Woosh (1993) Rhino
- Dub Plate Special (1993) Original Music
- Jah Woosh Meets Jah Stitch at Leggo Sounds (1995) Leggo (with Jah StitchJah StitchJah Stitch is a reggae deejay best known for his recordings in the 1970s.-Biography:...
) - DJ Legend Original Music
- Collection (2001) Original Music