Biography
Vincent ‘Vinnie’ Taylor, born around 1960 in St. Anns, Jamaica, West Indies, emerged during the mid-1970s as a young Rasta intent on channeling his vocal abilities. In 1976 he assembled Vinnie Taylor And The Revealers, a roots vocal trio patterned after the approach of Burning Spear, and took the group to producer Jack Ruby for the recording of the single ‘Hard Times’. Its lack of success prompted Taylor to refocus on local initiatives, renaming the ensemble Earth Messengers and positioning it as an outlet for disaffected young musicians in Ocho Rios. Among the artists who moved through its ranks were Donovan Francis, who later secured a solo contract with Island Records, and Errol Douglas, who subsequently joined Foundation. Ruby revisited the project in 1988 with the lineup now consisting of Taylor, his brother Milton, and Bedster Henry; the resulting album Ivory Towers earned strong critical notice yet failed to achieve commercial traction. Ruby’s death from a heart attack in spring 1989 halted any further sessions, leaving the present status of Earth Messengers unconfirmed and marking them as one more reggae act whose prospects never materialized.
Albums