Two losses for world Reggae! Jamaican producer and deejay die on the same day!

Winston Riley

More sad news for reggae at the beginning of the year. The renowned producer and composer Winston Riley, owner of the label Techniques, passed away on 01/19/2012. One of the industry's most successful producers, Winston Riley was born in 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica. Riley began as a singer in 1962, at the age of 16, when he formed the group The Techniques alongside Slim Smith. In the following years, the group scored two big hits in Jamaica with the tracks "Queen Majesty" and "You Don’t Care". However, in 1968, Riley left the group and founded the Techniques label, and in a short time he became one of the most successful Jamaican producers. Among his main works as a producer, we can highlight the LP "The Slackest", by deejay General Echo, released in 1979. Winston Riley also produced numerous important artists such as Boris Gardiner, Alton and Hortense Ellis, Johnny Osbourne, Sister Nancy, Lone Ranger, Frankie Paul, Madoo, Buju Banton, Cutty Ranks, among others. After suffering a series of attacks, Winston Riley had been in a coma since the beginning of November last year, when he was shot in the head. The producer ended up not resisting and passed away yesterday (19/01), in a hospital in Kingston, at the age of 65.

Errol Scorcher

Who also passed away yesterday (19/01) was the veteran deejay Errol Scorcher. Born Errol Archer, in Saint Catherine in Jamaica, in 1956, he became known for the hit "Roach In A De Corner", from 1979. Errol Scorcher worked as a deejay on several sound systems in the 70s, and released a total of 4 albums and numerous singles, most of them between 1978 and 1983. He also launched his own Scorcher label, where he produced his own work and also other artists such as Tony Tuff. Errol Scorcher was 56 years old.

IN MEMORIAM

Check out this and other legends that have already left us, in the special section "In Memoriam".