THAT VOICE IS GONE

Junior Murvin died today. He's best known for his 1976, Lee Perry produced "Police and Thieves", the song many were introduced to via the Clash's cover. He had a distinctive voice, one of the most distinctive in reggae. It was way up there in the high range, referred to by just about everybody as falsetto, but referred to by him as "real-setto". Think Curtis Mayfield doing reggae and you're just about there. No cause of death has been reported, though Murvin had been suffering from diabetes at the time of his death.

The songs below are just a cross section. The first three were produced by Lee Perry, all using the same riddim (rhythm), which Perry sufficiently milked. "Cool Out Son" uses the Real Rock riddim, originally created by Sound Dimension at Studio One. The cover of the Impressions "Gypsy Woman" is new to me, and it's kind of an eye opener. It's just Murvin and an acoustic guitar, not reggae at all, and it's beautiful.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves mp3 at Snuhthing Anything 1976
Junior Murvin - Soldier and Police War mp3 at Funky 16 Corners 1976
Junior Murvin - Bad Weed (long version) mp3 at Grounds For Appeal 1977
Junior Murvin - Cool Out Son mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Junior Murvin - Tedious mp3 at Reggae Top Site 1982
Junior Murvin - Wise Man  (+ dub version) (streaming) at YouTube
Junior Murvin - Jamaican Girls mp3 at Reggae Top Site 1984
Junior Murvin - Gipsy Woman [sic] mp3 at Lemon Alchimie
Video:
Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves at YouTube Top of the Pops 1977
Visit:
Junior Murvin - Interview at Rebel Base 2004
Junior Murvin at Jamaican Gleaner
Junior Murvin at Wikipedia