Manley
Augustus Buchanen was born in February 1955 to a preacher mother and a policeman
father, as one of five children. He left school at 14, and started work in
his teens as a cab driver and hotel mechanic at the Skyline and Sheraton hotels
in Kingston. From singing at work, he gradually worked his way up to become
the top deejay of the Lord Tippertone sound.
His
first recording, the Gregory Isaacs produced "Movie Man"
didn't really do much, but further ventures increased his profile, and by
the time Youth worked with producer
Keith
Hudson, he was at his peak. His "S.90
Skank" went gold, (& red & green) just like the jewels he
had sometime dentist Hudson place in his front teeth. In between he cut some
killer material with Gussie Clarke which resulted in the fabulous "Screaming
Targ
et"
LP.
In
1973, Youth formed his own labels, Negusa Negast and Augustus Buchanen, and
these quickly saw some quality releases, but Mr. Buchanen still found time
to work with other producers, such as Prince Buster, Joe Gibbs, Derrick Harriott
and Winston Riley. Due to his phenomenal output at this time, Jah Youth at
one stage had 5 of the top 10 singles in Jamaica.
Jah
Youth cut a version of The Wailers "Keep On Moving" with
Lee Perry, "Mooving Version" in 1972, as well as two version's
of Bunny Wailer's song "Bide Up", ("Bide", and
"Black On Black"). Youth kept up the pace through the mid-1970's
with other great tracks, such as "House Of DreadLocks", "All
Nations Bow", "Wolf In Sheeps Clothing", "Mosiah Garvey"
and too many more to mention.
These
songs helped make Big Youth a superstar in Jamaica, and he soon travelled
to England with a young Dennis
Brown, to stage some spectacular
live shows. The Youth Man was backed by The Ark Angels, and Brown by Joe Gibbs
and The Professionals, giving English audiences a first hand taste of what
was hot in Jamaica.
The
London Rainbow show (1977) must have had an effect on the watching
Johhny Rotten (Lyndon), as soon after he was photographed in the music press
sharing a huge spliff with Mr Youth.
Big
Youth still records and plays live, and is still greatly respected. From rebel
youth to elder statesman of reggae, he still inspires today, almost 30 years
after he began singing and rapping. One of the the founders of conscious music,
Big Youth still makes righteous songs aimed at the education of the youth,
and the principles of Zion.
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Title
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Label
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Producer
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Year
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Chi
Chi Run/Drums & Bass version
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Leave
Your Skeng/Revolution Rock
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Cain
& Able/Revolution Rock
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Hot
Cross Bun/River Jordan
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Panther
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Manley
Buchannan
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1972
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Children
Children/Mr Buddy
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1972
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Screaming
Target/Concrete Jungle
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Opportunity
Rock/Double Attack
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African
Daughter/Hell Is For Heroes
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Things
In The Light
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Streets
In Africa
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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A-So
We Stay (Money In Hand)
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Foreman
Vs Frazier/Round Two
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Chucky
No Lucky/Waterhouse Rock
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Joe
Gibbs
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Joel
Gibson
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1973
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Fire
Bunn/Mr Finnegan
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Observers
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Winston
"Niney" Holness
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1973
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I
Pray Thee/Dreader Than Dread
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Clinch
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Bernard
Collins
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1973
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Can
You Keep A Secret
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Mafia,
Pyramid
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Keith
Hudson
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1972
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Sky
Juice/Not Long Ago
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Dread
In A babylon/I Pray Thee Continually
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Augustus
Buchannan
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Hot
Stock/Downtown Kingston Pollution
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Daylight
Saving Time/Energy Crisis
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Augustus
Buchannan
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Mama
Look/ Papa Was A Rolling Stone
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Augustus
Buchannan
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Battle
Of The Giants Parts 1 & 2
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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My
Time
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1973
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Ride
On Ride On/Wild Goose Chase (With Dennis Brown)
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Destroyers,
Harry J
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Sir
Niney
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1974
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Town
Without Pity
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Hi
Note, Jamatel
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Sonia
Pottinger (or Winston Jones)
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1974,
1975
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Johnnie
Reggae (2 Different Versions)
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Wild
Flower
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Lloyd
Charmers
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1974
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All
Nations Bow (aka All Nations)
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Serpent
& Romax, Angen
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Winston
Riley
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1974,
1975
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House
Of Dreadlocks
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GrooveMaster,
Attack
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Tony
"Prince" Robinson
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1974,
1975
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Come
Into My Parlour (aka Big Youth For Christmas)
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Pantomine
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Glen
Brown
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1974
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Bide/Black
On Black
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Solomonic
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Bunny
Livingstone
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1974
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Some
Like It Dread
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Groovemaster
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Prince
Tony
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1974
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Keep
On Trying
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Sweet
City
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Leroy
Smart
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1974
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Natty
Universal Dread
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1974
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Every
Nigger Is A Star
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Augustus
Buchannan
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Manley
Buchannan
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1974
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Touch
Me In The Morning
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Augustus
Buchannan
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Manley
Buchannan
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1974
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Keep
Your Dread
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Sun
Shot
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Phil
Pratt
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1975
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Big
Youth Skank
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1975
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Love
& Happiness
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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Notty
No Jester/Version Part 3
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Impact,
Action
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Clive
Chin/V.Chin
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1975
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Yabby
Youth (aka Big Youth Dread)
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Globe
International, Prophets, Micron, Lucky
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Vivian
Jackson
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1975
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Natty
Warning
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Lucky
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Glen
Adams
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1975
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Get
Up Stand Up (& Dennis Brown)
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Lucky
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Glen
Adams
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1975
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Mammy
Hot & Daddy Cold
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Attack
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Tony
Robinson
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1975
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Natty
Dread She Want/Drum & Bass A Wha The Dread Locks Want
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GrooveMaster,
Klik
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Prince
Tony
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1975
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Mosia
Garvey
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Fox
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Jack
Ruby (L. Lindo)
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1975
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Dread
Locks Dread Festival
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GrooveMaster
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Prince
Tony
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1975
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Jim
Screechy
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1975
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Ten
Against One
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Negusa
Negast
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Manley
Buchannan
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1975
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Wolf
In Sheeps Clothing
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Augustus
Buchannan, Trojan
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Manley
Buchanan
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1975
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Hit
The Road Jack
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Negusa
Negast, Trojan
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Manley
Buchanan
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1976
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Jah
Jah Love Them/Oven Baking
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Wild
Flower
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Manley
Buchanan
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1976
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Whats
Going On/Ten Against One
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Trojan
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Manley
Buchanan
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1976
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Johnny
Reggae
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Caribbean
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Lloyd
Charmers
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1977
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Four
Sevens
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Observer
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Sir
Niney
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1977
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6
Dead & 19 Gone To Jail
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Observer
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Sir
Niney
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1977
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Sugar
Sugar
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Tanasha
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Devon
Russell
|
1977
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The
Upful One
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Tanasha
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Devon
Russell
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1977
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Love
Jah Jah Children
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Chanan
Jah
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Gussie
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1977
|
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River
Boat
|
Negusa
Negast
|
Manley
Buchannan
|
1977
|
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Love
In The Neighbourhood
|
Dee
Jay
|
A
Folder
|
1977
|
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Miss
Lou Ring Ding
|
Negusa
Negast
|
Manley
Buchannan
|
1977
|
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| Equal
Rights Style (& Dennis Brown) |
Joe
Gibbs |
Joe
Gibbs |
1977 |
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| Running
Up And Down (& Dennis Brown) |
Joe
Gibbs |
Joe
Gibbs |
1978 |
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