Biography
Born Paul Murray in Manchester, Jamaica, West Indies, the future performer grew up in Royal Flat, where his mother served as a church deaconess and first sparked his interest in music. He took the stage name Lymie after a youthful escapade in which he and several classmates attempted to pick fruit from an adjacent orchard; the plan failed, and when questioned he supplied the false name Lymon, which later evolved into Lymie. During the late 1980s he attended a nearby college and earned certificates in accounting and business management. Those credentials secured him a post at the Ministry of Finance in Kingston in 1990. Although employed by the government, he remained drawn to the city’s vibrant music community and began developing his own recording career at the same time. His brother, already providing backing vocals for Beres Hammond, offered encouragement. An introduction to producer Desmond Lawson yielded Lymie’s first vinyl release, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.” While working with Lawson he laid down enough material for an album, yet the producer ultimately withheld the remaining tracks. Between 1994 and 1997 Lymie performed with the Skool band, which joined the Reggae Sunsplash world tour and appeared in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and the Far East. In the closing years of the decade he launched a solo career after Freddie McGregor invited him to record for the Big Ship label. McGregor placed Lymie on backing vocals beside his daughter Yeshemabeth for the track “Reggae Ska.” The song’s success prompted the compilation Big Ship Ole Fung Reggae Ska, which marked Lymie’s first international release. Further session work produced the early singles “Jah I Wanna Be With You Now” and the duet “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” with Zoe Fox. His debut album, Start All Over, appeared to strong critical notice in 2001, though much of the press centered on McGregor’s personal endorsement.
Albums