Biography
Wayne Jarrett ranks among the most gifted yet overlooked roots reggae vocalists, delivering a piercing, luminous tenor that recalls Horace Andy. His most essential material took shape in the final years of the 1970s and the first years of the 1980s, among them the enduring Bunny Lee–produced single “Satta Dread.” Additional sessions paired him with Jamaican producers including Glen Brown, who helmed the classic cut “Youthman,” Junjo Lawes, and several others active in the same era. His strongest work arguably consists of the six tracks cut in 1982 for Lloyd “Bullwackie” Barnes at the Bronx-based Wackies imprint; paired with their corresponding dubs, the recordings became the Showcase, Vol. 1 LP, an unjustly neglected jewel of reggae history. Multiple reissues have followed, many appearing under the alternate title Bubble Up. Jarrett’s further releases encompass What’s Wrong with the Youths on Jah Life Records and the Lawes-produced Chip In, first issued in 1982 before a later pressing retitled it Chippin; Greensleeves Records reinstated the original name for the 2007 compact-disc edition.
Albums
