Biography
Born around 1965 in Manchester, England, Morrison nevertheless grew up in Jamaica. Early success arrived through repeated wins at Kingston talent contests and performances over dub plates on local sound systems. In 1986 dancehall singer Half Pint steered him toward an audition for producer George Phang, whose work on the classic “Greetings” had already impressed Morrison. Once the producer was persuaded of his talent, the newcomer cut his debut single, “Lovers Feeling.” Returning to the UK in 1988, he accepted an invitation from cousin Dennis Rowe to perform on the renowned Saxon sound system; Rowe also oversaw the release of Morrison’s first British record, “Got To Make A Change.” A string of further successes followed in the early 1990s for several different producers, among them “Best Of Me,” “Wanna Make Love,” “Phone Me,” “You’re Gonna Leave,” and the chart-topping “Crying Over You.” In 1995 he took the part of Mango in Devon Morgan’s stage musical Johnny Dollar, which showcased additional leading UK artists such as Sylvia Tella, Peter Hunningale and Tippa Irie. Later that year, at Christmas, he issued “True Friends,” his biggest seller to date; the track reached the summit of the reggae chart the following spring. He duplicated that achievement in 1997 with “This Game Called Love,” whose memorable hook incorporated the horn riff sampled from Delroy Wilson’s “Dancing Mood.”