Roy Shirley

Roy Shirley's Joe Gibbs-produced single "Hold Them," issued in 1967, established the groundwork for rocksteady. Though his catalog stayed modest and his renown never spread widely abroad, the eccentric, energetic vocalist—celebrated for flamboyant stage attire and a distinctive trembling vibrato—shaped reggae's trajectory in lasting ways. Born July 18, 1944, in Kingston, Jamaica, he first cultivated his three-octave range singing in the choir of his mother's revivalist church in Trenchtown. As a teenager he entered neighborhood talent contests, where he met Jimmy Cliff; the encouragement of his fellow competitor persuaded him to turn professional. Early sides cut for Simeon L. Smith never appeared, yet the ska ballad "Shirley" became a local success in 1965. Group affiliations followed with Ken Boothe, Joe White, and Chuck Josephs in the Leaders and with Slim Smith and Franklyn White in the Uniques before Shirley resumed solo work and, via a mutual contact, met television repairman and record retailer Gibbs in 1967. Their partnership produced "Hold Them," whose deliberate slowing of ska's hectic pulse created the rocksteady rhythm. The record topped Jamaican playlists and sent Shirley on tour. Dressed in a flowing silver cape with an impossibly tall collar, he channeled the theatrical intensity of James Brown through tongue-in-cheek, nearly cartoonish vocal mannerisms.

Further partnerships linked him with other pivotal reggae figures. Late in 1967 he recorded "I Am a Winner" with Lee "Scratch" Perry; the next year he launched his own Public imprint, enlisting Peter Tosh along with Carlton and Aston Barrett to cut "Prophecy Fulfilling," "Flying Reggae," and "On Board." He also supplied Bunny Lee with "Get on the Ball" and "Music Field," and inaugurated King Tubby's studio with the boxing tribute "Joe Razor." Another major success arrived in 1969 via his version of Ben E. King's "Gypsy." Shirley made his New York City debut in 1971 and, the following year, completed a week-long engagement at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Also in 1972 he joined U-Roy and Max Romeo on a British tour, billing himself as "The High Priest of Reggae." The move to London in 1973 distanced him from the Kingston scene and his visibility faded, yet he kept recording and performing, opened a record shop, and established the British Universal Talent Development Association to assist young musicians from disadvantaged backgrounds. In 1993 he revisited "Hold Them" as the dancehall track "Control Them." Shirley was discovered deceased at his London residence on July 17, 2008.