b. Edmund Carl Aitken, Kent, England. Aitken settled in America, after his family moved to Jamaica when he was two and then to New York in 1976. Shinehead has an eclectic range of influences, including the Jackson Five and Otis Redding. He began singing at 19, combining Jamaican "toasting" with hip-hop styles. Initially he studied electrical and computer engineering, but entered music with Downbeat International in 1981. Brigadier Jerry was an important influence, and he soon established a reputation for his dancehall skills, mimicking, DJing, singing, selecting, rapping and whistling very effectively over Downbeat's stock-in-trade Studio One dub plates. It was at Downbeat that his close-cropped hairstyle led to his nickname. He came into contact with Claude Evans in late 1983. Evans ran the African Love sound system/label in Brooklyn and had managed to acquire a rhythm track that the Wailers had apparently recorded for Bob Marley, who had died before being able to use it. Shinehead recorded "Billie Jean"/"Mama Used To Say" over two sides of the rhythm and African Love scored a huge hit. Rough And Rugged followed in 1986 and demonstrated Shinehead's versatility, featuring dancehall, ballads, rap and reggae and providing further hits with "Know How Fi Chat", "Hello Y'All" and "Who The Cap Fits". In that year, he also made a guest appearance on Sly And Robbie's popular "Boops" and was signed to Elektra Records in 1987. Unity, featuring tracks by Run DMC's Jam Master Jay, seemed to be simply a reworking of his first set, even containing many of the same tracks. His new material was aimed at the US crossover market, and despite the success of "Strive" with his diminishing roots audience in 1990, his fortunes have waned. He made use of various pop, rap and dance talent for Sidewalk University in an attempt to gain commercial success, with the single "Jamaican In New York" doing quite well. These later releases pale in comparison to his earlier work but he continues to make appearances on US and Jamaican sound systems.

Listen to Shinehead at Finetune.

• (2008)  Troddin'
• (2008)  The Real Rock
• (1988)  Unity

• Bille Jean
• Golden Touch
• Raggamuffin
• Gimme No Crack
• Do It With Ease

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• UB40
• Bob Marley & The Wailers
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• Yellowman
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• Inner Circle
• Aswad
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