Biography
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, she departed for the United Kingdom at fifteen, having already started to sing before leaving. Her first recording appeared at twenty-one on the Les Cliff-produced single ‘Your Tender Lips’, issued through Dennis Harris and the independent Eve organization that originated both the lovers rock label and its associated genre. She continued working with Cliff after he founded his Saturn label, delivering the enduring ‘Undying Love’ together with ‘My Only Chance’, ‘Could This Be True’ and ‘How I Need You’. From 1978 onward she collaborated with Winston Curtis, who issued her debut album In Person containing reworkings of earlier material plus the chart-topping ‘Kiss You All Over’ and ‘Hello I Love You’; the set also featured a version of ‘Angel Of The Morning’, originally an R&B success that has since become a reggae standard. In 1980 she released ‘Angel In Your Arms’ and ‘Stay With Me Baby’ and recorded notable duets with Ray Mondo, among them a rendition of the Heptones’ ‘Book Of Rules’ and ‘Easy Loving’. By 1981 she had rejoined Les Cliff, who both produced and sang on the duet ‘Together In Love’, while further tracks from this period appeared on the popular Reggae For Lovers compilation. In 1982 Count Shelly recorded her distinctive vocals for ‘Go Away Little Girl’, ‘You’ll Never Get Your Hooks In My Man’ and her second album of lovers tunes. By the early nineties she was reported to have settled in Miami, where she took part in a concert celebrating the growing community of South Florida Reggae Artists alongside Wayne Wade and Jimmy Riley.
Albums
Singles
