Wayne Smith

Born on 5 December 1965 in Kingston, Jamaica, the singer who would later pass away in the same city on 17 February 2014 first discovered his voice during school years and through regular church performances, where he honed a distinctive vocal approach. Once he completed his studies, he entered an apprenticeship in electrical engineering, with his practical training unfolding in the Papine district of St. Andrew’s—an area already known for launching the careers of Brigadier Jerry, Sister Nancy, Anthony Malvo and Chaka Demus. In his spare hours he lingered around King Jammy’s, then operating as Prince Jammy, sound system, quietly waiting for a chance to claim the microphone. That determination eventually succeeded, prompting Jammy to capture his first recording, “Ain't No Me Without You,” and subsequently the dancehall staples “Change My Mind,” “Life Is A Moment In Space” and “Ism Skism.”

His presence was captured in the Channel 4 reggae documentary Deep Roots Music, which shows him working inside King Tubby’s studio. Branching out from that initial circle, he recorded at Channel One for several producers and scored further successes with “Smoker Supa” alongside renditions of “Karma Chameleon” and Dennis Brown’s “No More Will I Roam.” By the middle of the decade he had renewed his association with the now-elevated King Jammy, resulting in the popular tracks “Ain't No Meaning” and “Come Along.”

In the closing months of 1984, alongside Noel Daley, he experimented with a Casio music box—an episode widely regarded as a decisive moment in Jamaican music production. The experiment yielded “Under Me Sleng Teng,” an international phenomenon that generated innumerable versions and, from its 1985 release onward, continued to underpin new reggae recordings. Having introduced the most frequently adapted rhythm pattern in the genre’s history, he faced intense expectations yet maintained steady composure. He applied his songwriting and vocal skills while drawing on his engineering background to program the Sleng Teng-based selections “Icky All Over,” “Love Don’t Love Me” and “Walk Like A Granny.” Additional hits such as “Rapid Dem Love” and “My Sweet Love” followed before he moved to the United States and established his own Sleng Teng imprint.

After resettling in Jamaica in 2013, he was taken to hospital the next February following a heart attack and died there on 17 February 2014 at the age of 48.