Billy Boyo

Billy Boyo (born Billy Theophilus Rowe, * 21st September 1969 in Kingston , Jamaica ; † 29. October 2000 ) was a child star - Deejay Early Reggae - Dance Halls .

Musical career

In 1981, at the age of 12, Billy Boyo became the deejay for Volcano , the sound system of his brother-in-law Henry "Junjo" Lawes . In the same year his first maxi-single called One Spliff a Day was released on the British record label Greensleeves Records , with the lurid but incorrect announcement Introducing Ten-year-old Billy Boyo!

Junjo was Jamaica's most successful reggae producer in the early 1980s . The vocals of his stars like Barrington Levy , Yellowman , Eek-A-Mouse and Toyan were backed up with the hard, slow sound of the Roots Radics and mixed by Scientist . With this recipe for success, Billy Boyo's first album DJ Clash Volume 2 was recorded together with Little Harry for Greensleeves in 1982 and was also sold in Europe with moderate success. In the same year, six more Maxisingles appeared on the label.

Child stars are a well-known phenomenon in the Jamaican music scene. At the same time as Billy Boyo, Little Harry and the then 10-year-old and later globally successful Beenie Man were active for Junjo .

In 1983, when Billy Boyo visited London, six recordings were made for the British label Silver Kamel , which were only released on the CD Zim Zim in 2002, two years after his death . The six songs are arranged in showcase style along with the dubs produced by Trevor Ranking .

After a release each for Captain Sinbad , Jah Thomas and Rusty , Billy Boyo ended his short career as a dancehall deejay.

Billy Boyo died of a brain tumor on October 29, 2000 after fighting the disease for two months.

style

There are only recordings of Billy Boyo's bright boy's voice before his voice broke. He didn't sing, he deejayed , rapping over given riddims . Although equipped with a good sense of rhythm, it did not always hit the right note - as is often the case with children's voices.

Lyrically, Billy Boyo had nothing profound to say: his songs were about girls ( Wicked She Wicked , Look How She Fat ), dancehall ( Zim Zim , Disk Jockey ) or simply about himself ( Billy Boyo on the Go , Billy Boyo in the Area ).

The UK releases are adult free, on the live recording from October 1982 with the Aces International sound system at 82 Chisholm Ave. in Kingston, however, you can hear the unadulterated Billy Boyo: with a squawking boy's voice he sings about the girl Dana, whom he first blows a black eye and then impresses with his two pair (!) of balls and a long long body . And of course she only wants one thing: 'Push it inna me!', She say 'Push it inna me!' .

Discography

• DJ Clash Volume 2: Little Harry & Billy Boyo (LP Greensleeves 1982)
• A Live Session With Aces International (LP Intense 1982, live with Peter Metro, Toyan, Captain Sinbad, Yellowman, Little Harry and Fathead)
• Zim Zim (recorded 1983, CD Silver Kamel 2002)

Web links

• Silver Kamel : Short biography, audio clips from the album Zim Zim