Burning Spear facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Burning Spear
OD
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Burning Spear live at Reggae Geel, Belgium, in 2023
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Winston Rodney |
| Born | 1 March 1945 Saint Ann's Bay, Saint Ann, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae, roots reggae, dub |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Studio One, Island, EMI, Heartbeat, Slash/Warner Bros., Burning Music |
Winston Rodney OD, born on March 1, 1945, is a famous Jamaican reggae singer. He is much better known by his stage name, Burning Spear.
Burning Spear is a Rastafarian. This means he follows a spiritual way of life that started in Jamaica. He is one of the most important and long-lasting reggae artists from the 1970s. He has won many awards for his music.
Contents
Early Life
Winston Rodney grew up in Saint Ann's Bay, Jamaica. When he was young, he listened to American music like R&B, soul, and jazz on the radio. He really liked artists such as Curtis Mayfield and James Brown.
A big influence on him was Marcus Garvey, a political leader. Garvey taught about Pan-Africanism (unity of African people) and self-determination (people deciding their own future). In 1969, another famous Jamaican musician, Bob Marley, gave Rodney some advice. Marley told him to go to Studio One, a well-known music studio.
Music Career
Burning Spear was first the name of Rodney's music group. The name came from a military award given by Jomo Kenyatta, the first President of independent Kenya. The group started with Rodney and Rupert Willington. They tried out for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One in 1969. This led to their first song, "Door Peep." Later, Delroy Hinds joined the group.
The trio recorded several songs and two albums for Dodd. In 1975, they started working with producer Jack Ruby. Their first song with Ruby, "Marcus Garvey," became an instant hit. This was followed by another popular song, "Slavery Days." These songs featured a backing band called The Black Disciples.
Their third album, Marcus Garvey (1975), was very successful. It led to a deal with Island Records to release the album to more people. Rodney later started his own label, Burning Music. This allowed him to have full control over his music.
In late 1976, Rodney decided to work alone. From then on, he used the name Burning Spear for himself. He released the album Dry and Heavy in 1977. By this time, he had many fans in the United Kingdom. He performed in London that year, and the show was released as the album Live!.
In 1980, Rodney started his own company, Burning Music Production. He signed with EMI and released the album Hail H.I.M.. Later, he signed with Heartbeat Records in 1982. He released many popular albums with them, including Resistance in 1985.
Burning Spear has toured all over the world for many years. He has released several live albums, showing how his music grew. His live shows mix reggae with hints of jazz, funk, and psychedelic music.
In 2002, Winston and his wife, Sonia Rodney, restarted Burning Music Records. This gave him even more artistic control over his music. Since the mid-1990s, he has lived in Queens, New York City. On October 15, 2007, Burning Spear received the Order of Distinction. This is an important award in Jamaica.
In 2016, Rodney announced he was retiring from music. However, in 2022, he announced he would perform again. He played at festivals in Spain and on the 'Welcome to Jamrock' cruise. He also performed shows in California, Colorado, and the UK in 2022. In August 2023, he performed in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Awards
Burning Spear has won two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album. He won in 2000 for his album Calling Rastafari. He won again in 2009 for Jah Is Real. He has been nominated for a total of 12 Grammy Awards.
Here are some of the albums that were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album:
- 1986 Resistance
- 1988 People of the World
- 1990 Live in Paris Zenith '88
- 1991 Mek We Dweet
- 1994 The World Should Know
- 1996 Rasta Business
- 1998 Appointment with His Majesty
- 2000 Calling Rastafari (winner)
- 2004 Free Man
- 2006 Our Music
- 2008 The Burning Spear Experience
- 2009 Jah Is Real (winner)
- 2024 No Destroyer
See also
In Spanish: Burning Spear para niños
