Biography
Born around 1958 in Jamaica, George Nooks first worked as a DJ, cutting discomix sides for Joe Gibbs Record Globe. In 1978 he appeared under the name Prince Mohammed on a remake of Dennis Brown’s “Money In My Pocket”; the B-side “Cool Runnings,” co-written with George and Errol Thompson, highlighted an outstanding vocal turn. He also joined Brown on “How Could I Leave,” listed as George Knooks (sic), the spelling under which he cut Prince Tony Robinson’s hit “Light Up Your Spliff.” His distinctive approach soon appeared on productions by others, among them Alvin “GG” Ranglin’s “Hallelujah I Love Her So.” Sessions with Bunny Riley yielded “People Are You Ready,” whose chant-and-response style closely echoed Tapper Zukie’s “Oh Lord,” after which Nooks issued his debut album containing the tracks “Fat John Tom,” “Great Sounds Ska” and “Natty Going Back To Africa.” Rising violence in Kingston prompted him to switch to singing under his given name, first with an interpretation of Little Roy’s “Tribal War” and then with Errol Dunkley’s “Darling Ooh.” Concentrating on vocals, he teamed with Donovan Germain for “We’re In This Love Together,” a release that crossed into the mainstream and came close to the UK pop chart. Additional singles included “Time For Love,” “My Heart Is Gone,” “Be Your Lover,” “Rocking Time” and “Freedom Blues.” During the 1990s Nooks issued occasional recordings, notably “No One Else Will Do,” which, when played from dub plate, was frequently mistaken for a Dennis Brown tune. Examples of his work later surfaced on Acid Jazz Records’ roots offshoot.
Albums
