b. Jamaica, West Indies. A distinguished vocalist of the hard-working, soulful school, Leroy Smart - the self-styled "Don" - was orphaned at the age of two and brought up in Kingston's Alpha Catholic Boys School and Home - the first home for many of Jamaica's musical talents. His reputation precedes him as one of Jamaica's most outrageous and colourful characters, and he is held in high esteem by the reggae fraternity, to the point where his name is often discussed not only with reverence but in awe. Consquently, the stories of his struggles in life have assumed far greater importance over the years than his manifest vocal talents. He began recording in the early 70s and made the usual rounds of Kingston producers, first achieving success with Jimmy Radway/Rodway and then with Bunny Lee, Gussie Clarke and Joseph "Joe Joe" Hookim and many others. His stage shows were truly outrageous and were famed as much for their acrobatic displays as his vocal pyrotechnics, while his agonized, mannered singing defied categorization. He achieved classic status on a number of records throughout the 70s, including "Pride And Ambition", "Ballistic Affair", "God Helps The Man" and "Mr Smart"/"Happiness Is My Desire". He continued to record in the 80s and on into the 90s too, hitting again with "She Just A Draw Card" and "I Am The Don". His vocal power and forceful personality have always ensured that he is never far from the forefront of reggae music.

Listen to Leroy Smart at Finetune.

• Ballistic Affair
• Pride & Ambition

• Dennis Brown
• Black Uhuru
• Aswad
• Gregory Isaacs
• Bob Marley & The Wailers
• Luciano
• Burning Spear
• Mighty Diamonds
• Culture
• Toots And The Maytals
• Junior Murvin
• Peter Tosh
• Marcia Griffiths
• Capleton
• Freddie McGregor
• The Heptones
• Beres Hammond
• Buju Banton
• Sizzla
• Sugar Minott

• garwich