Barrington Levy, born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica in 1964, is one of the defining voices of early dancehall reggae, cutting Bounty Hunter and Englishman with producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes in 1979 while still a teenager. That waoh-waoh falsetto is instantly recognizable — start with Englishman. Shop Barrington Levy vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Barrington Ainsworth Levy was born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica on April 30, 1964. He began recording for sound systems and small Kingston labels in his early teens, achieving prominence with producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes and the Roots Radics band on the 1979 albums Bounty Hunter and Englishman. He became one of the central dancehall reggae singers of the early 1980s alongside Eek-A-Mouse and Yellowman. His catalog has continued through the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s with crossover singles including Here I Come, Under Mi Sensi, and the international hit Murderer.
Levy's vocal style is characterized by a high tenor with extensive use of falsetto, vocalized scat phrases (often the trademark waoh-waoh), and the conversational delivery typical of early dancehall. His work draws on roots reggae traditions while pioneering the dancehall aesthetics that defined Jamaican music throughout the 1980s.
Greensleeves and Jah Life pressings of the early Levy catalog are foundational items in reggae and dancehall collecting. Multiple anniversary reissues have been released, including expanded versions of Englishman.
Listeners new to Barrington Levy typically start with Englishman (1979) or Bounty Hunter (1979).
