Steely & Clevie
Encyclopedia
Steely & Clevie, aka Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne, was a Jamaica
n dancehall reggae
production duo. It worked with artists such as the Specials
, Gregory Peck ("Poco Man Jam," 1990), Bounty Killer
, Elephant Man
and No Doubt
.
Steely debuted as a keyboardist with Sugar Minott
's Youth Promotion collective in the 1970s. Clevie pioneered the use of drum machine
s in reggae. Steely and Clevie first played together at Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studios during the late 1970s. In 1986, the duo was the house band at King Jammy's Studio, which became the center point of late-1980s reggae, by which time Steely & Clevie were established production leaders with an immense slew of 12-inch and dub singles. The duo formed the Steely & Clevie label in 1987, a year in which reggae riddim
s and dub-influenced hip-hop production by Ced Gee and KRS-One
in the Bronx became prominent.
In 2004, Steely was charged with dangerous driving after being involved in an accident in which high-school student Shakara Harris was fatally injured. Steely was cleared of all charges in November 2005.
Steely died on September 1, 2009, in a hospital in East Patchogue, New York
, USA. He was suffering from pneumonia after having recovered from kidney complications in December 2008. He had surgery for a blood clot in the brain shortly before he died. Clevie continues to produce and record.
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 dancehall reggae
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
production duo. It worked with artists such as the Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
, Gregory Peck ("Poco Man Jam," 1990), Bounty Killer
Bounty Killer
Bounty Killer is a Grammy nominated Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He is the founder of a dancehall collective known as The Alliance.-Early life and career:...
, Elephant Man
Elephant Man
Elephant Man, also known as the Energy God, born O'Neil Bryan on September 11, 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica, is a dancehall musician.-Career:...
and No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
.
Steely debuted as a keyboardist with Sugar Minott
Sugar Minott
Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae singer, producer and sound-system operator.-Biography:...
's Youth Promotion collective in the 1970s. Clevie pioneered the use of drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s in reggae. Steely and Clevie first played together at Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studios during the late 1970s. In 1986, the duo was the house band at King Jammy's Studio, which became the center point of late-1980s reggae, by which time Steely & Clevie were established production leaders with an immense slew of 12-inch and dub singles. The duo formed the Steely & Clevie label in 1987, a year in which reggae riddim
Riddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm," but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the "voicing" sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for...
s and dub-influenced hip-hop production by Ced Gee and KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
in the Bronx became prominent.
In 2004, Steely was charged with dangerous driving after being involved in an accident in which high-school student Shakara Harris was fatally injured. Steely was cleared of all charges in November 2005.
Steely died on September 1, 2009, in a hospital in East Patchogue, New York
East Patchogue, New York
East Patchogue is a census-designated place in the Suffolk County town of Brookhaven, New York, United States. The population was 20,824 at the 2000 census. The CDP is a proximate representation of the East Patchogue hamlet used for statistical purposes of the Census Bureau...
, USA. He was suffering from pneumonia after having recovered from kidney complications in December 2008. He had surgery for a blood clot in the brain shortly before he died. Clevie continues to produce and record.
External links
- Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson—Daily Telegraph obituary