Jimmy Riley Is Dead

ORIGIN
Jimmy Riley was a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer. He was a member of the vocal groups, the Sensations and The Uniques. He was born Martin James Norman Riley on May 22, 1954 in Jones Town, Kingston. He grew up in the Waterhouse district and attended Kingston Senior School. Riley met The Techniques band leader, Keith “Slim” Smith, while in school. He started listening to their songs and developed an interest in the music business.

CAREER
Riley began his musical career at an early age. He created the group, The Sensations, and worked with legendary music producer, Arthur “Duke” Reid. The Sensations garnered early attention with songs like “Everyday is Just a Holiday” and “Those Guys”. Riley left the group in 1967 and joined Slim and The Techniques. They released a series of hits including the singles “Watch This Sound”, and “My Conversation”. After the members disbanded, a new group was formed with members Slim, Riley and Lloyd Charmers. They named the trio, The Uniques, and saw success with songs like “Let Me Go Girl”, “Build My World” and ” My Conversation”.

As a solo artist, Riley recorded his first song “Eat Where You Sleep Last Night”. He worked with Trojan Records followed by Sly & Robbie’s Taxi Label. The album, Sly and Robbie Presents Jimmy Riley: Pull Up Selector, was released in 2009. In 2013, Riley released the much anticipated album ‘Contradiction’. It featured sounds from his son along with fellow reggae artists Sizzla Kalonji and Fantan Mojah.

PERSONAL
Jimmy Riley died on March 23, 2016 at the age of 61. His reported cause of death was cancer. He’s survived by family and friends including son, Tarrus Riley. He was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 at the annual Bob Marley Reggae Festival in California.

Jimmy Riley Bio, Net Worth, Height