Harry J Allstars
| Harry J | |
|---|---|
Harry J
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harry Zephaniah Johnson |
| Born |
6 July 1945 Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica |
| Died | 3 April 2013 (aged 67) Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Insurance salesman, record producer |
| Instruments | Bass |
| Years active | 1968–1995 2002–2013 |
| Labels | Studio One, Harry J, Jaywax |
| Associated acts | Harry J Allstars |
Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer of African, Sicilian and Scottish descent.
Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player before moving into management of the group. When the band split up he worked as an insurance salesman. He first appeared as a record producer in 1968, when he launched his own record label, "Harry J", by releasing The Beltones' local hit "No More Heartaches", one of the earliest reggae songs to be recorded. His agreement with Coxsone Dodd allowed him to use Studio One's facilities, where he produced the hit "Cuss Cuss" with singer Lloyd Robinson, which became one of the most covered riddims in Jamaica. Johnson also released music under a subsidiary label, Jaywax.
In October 1969, he met success in the UK with "The Liquidator" (number 9 in the UK Singles Chart) recorded with his sessionband, The Harry J All Stars (it was also a hit in 1980, reaching number 42). This single became one of the anthems of the emerging skinhead youth subculture; together with other instrumental hits released in the UK through his own subdivision "Harry J" on Trojan Records, on a compilation album of the same name.
In the beginning of the 1970s he enjoyed another big success with the vocal duo Bob and Marcia with the song "Young, Gifted and Black". His productions also included Jamaican hits with DJs like Winston Blake or Scotty among others, and many dub versions.
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