Farewell to Naggo Morris! Legendary voice of the Morwells, Royals and Heptones loses battle with cancer.

Another legend of world reggae succumbs to cancer. Naggo Morris died on May 18 after a long battle with the disease. Although he is remembered for hits from the Roots Reggae era, such as “Su Su pan Rasta”, the career of the artist who would have turned 73 next September began long before the birth of Jah's rhythm. Owner of an extensive body of work, Morris traveled the planet through his music and leaves us a wonderful legacy that will echo forever.

NAGGO MORRIS

Dolphin George Morris was born in the Jamaican countryside, but at only 2 weeks old he moved to the capital with his family. Carrying a passion for music from the cradle, since he was the son of saxophonist Vernal Morris (Byron Lee and the Dragonaires), Morris began his career not at the microphones, but on dance floors. A professional dancer, Naggo was a famous figure at shows, theaters and even on TV, having actively participated in more than 4 popular programs on the island in that 1960s decade. It was only at the end of the decade that he decided to take a chance at the microphones. Together with Barrington Spence, he formed the group Soul Boys, which recorded the song “Blood Pressure” with Coxsone Dodd in 1968. Soon after the recordings at Studio 1, the group split up and Naggo began working as a backing singer on Duke Reid recordings, offering his voice as backing for artists such as Alton Ellis, Slim Smith, Stranger Cole and many others. At the beginning of the following decade, Morris joined the group Morwells and later The Royals. But it was through his solo career that he broke through. Hits recorded under Joe Gibbs' direction served as a calling card for Naggo Morris to take Leroy Sibbles' place at the front of the Heptones in 1975, after the singer immigrated to Canada. A convinced Rastaman, Morris had a reputation for being a kind and conscious person, a memory that proves true when we recall some songs he composed, such as “Flour Power”, which reported the tragedy in which more than 15 people died poisoned after consuming wheat flour that contained rat poison.

IN MEMORIAM

See this and other legends who have already left us in the special "In Memoriam" section.