Editing Ken Boothe

{{Short description|Jamaican singer (born 1948)}}
{{For|those of a similar name|Ken Booth (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Jamaican English|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name             = Ken Boothe
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of Distinction|OD]]
| image            = Festival du Bout du Monde 2018 - Ken Boothe - 072.jpg
| caption          = Boothe performing in 2018
| background       = solo_singer
| birth_name       = Kenneth George Boothe
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|df=y|1948|03|22}}
| birth_place      =[[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], [[Colony of Jamaica]]
| genre            = [[Ska]], [[rocksteady]], [[reggae]], [[lovers rock]]
| occupation       = Singer
| years_active     = 1950s–present
| label            = [[Studio One (record label)|Studio One]], [[Trojan Records|Trojan]]
| website          = {{URL|kenboothemusic.com}}
}}

'''Kenneth George Boothe''' [[Order of Distinction|OD]] (born 22 March 1948)<ref name="amg"/> is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appealed to both [[reggae]] fans and mainstream audiences.

==Biography==
Ken Boothe was born in [[Denham Town]], [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]]. He attended Denham Primary Elementary School and during this period developed an interest in music after receiving encouragement from his eldest sister, [[Hyacinth Clover]], who was an established vocalist.<ref>[http://www.trojanrecords.com/artists/b/ken-boothe Ken Boothe Biography at Trojan Records] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204030140/http://www.trojanrecords.com/artists/b/ken-boothe |date=4 December 2013 }} Author: Laurence Cane-Honeysett. Retrieved 1 June 2013.</ref><ref name="Reggaeville">[http://www.reggaeville.com/nc/artist-details/artist/ken-boothe/news/interview-with-ken-boothe/ac/news.html Ken Boothe Interview at Reggaeville] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019142752/http://www.reggaeville.com/nc/artist-details/artist/ken-boothe/news/interview-with-ken-boothe/ac/news.html |date=19 October 2016 }} Interviewer: Angus Taylor. Published: 22 March 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.</ref> Boothe cites singer [[Owen Gray]] as a major influence, particularly after hearing Gray perform the [[Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller|Leiber and Stoller]] [[Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)|rhythm and blues version]] of the 1920s [[List of blues standards|blues standard]], "[[Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues|Kansas City Blues]]", written by E L Bowman and notably performed by [[Jim Jackson (musician)|Jim Jackson]] in 1927. [[Stranger Cole]], who was an established artist and neighbor to Boothe, had already worked with Boothe on the Sir Percy sound system as well as recording two songs for independent producer Sir Mike though Boothe's major breakthrough came in 1963 after Cole arranged an audition at Duke Reid's studio.<ref name="Reggaeville" /> The audition with Cole and Boothe performing their song "Uno Dos Tres" was a success and Boothe and Cole formed the duo 'Stranger & Ken' with the first track released by them being "Hush Baby" on the B-side of Cole's [[Island Records]] single "Last Love".<ref name="C Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|pages=166/7}}</ref> This was followed by the singles "Thick in Love" both released in 1963 on R&B Records.<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, {{ISBN|0-87930-655-6}}, pp. 336, 368.</ref> They released several more popular singles between 1963 and 1965, including "World's Fair", "Hush", and "Artibella".<ref name="C Larkin"/> Boothe also recorded as a duo with [[Roy Shirley]] (as Roy & Ken), which resulted in the release of the single "Paradise" in 1966.<ref name="Thompson" />

Boothe's first solo tracks were recorded in 1966 after [[Clement "Coxsone" Dodd]] had signed him to his Studio One Label.<ref name="C Larkin"/> He also recorded material for [[Phil Pratt]] and [[Sonia Pottinger]] the same year.<ref name="C Larkin"/> He had almost immediate success with songs including "[[The Train Is Coming]]" (on which he was backed by [[The Wailers (1963-1974 band)|the Wailers]]), the first, ska version, of later reggae song [[You're No Good]] with [[Soulettes]] (the group Bob Marley's future wife [[Rita Marley|Rita Anderson]] was in) on B-side, and "Lonely Teardrops". The following year, Boothe and [[Alton Ellis]] had a successful UK tour with the Studio One session group, the [[The Soul Vendors|Soul Vendors]]. Boothe was promoted as "[[Rocksteady|Mr. Rock Steady]]" by Dodd during this period. The rocksteady classic "Moving Away" was released in 1967 or 1968 on the Coxsone label. "Moving Away" is a song still popular today, and covered or sampled by many artists, among them [[Dennis Brown]], [[Jackie Mittoo]] ("Macka Fat"), [[Jack Radics]] [[I-Roy]], [[U-Roy]] ("African Message"), [[Janet Key]], [[Jaime Hinckson]], [[Romain des Bois]], [[Bruno Mars]], [[Al Campbell]] ("Dress Black" [[Garnett Silk]] ("It's Growing"), [[Half Pint]] ("Substitute Lover"), [[Wayne Wonder]] ("Time To Say Good Bye"), [[Leroy Smart]] ("Talk About Friends"), [[Sanchez (singer)|Sanchez]] ("Don't Worry"), [[Admiral Tibet]] ("Nuthin Nah Run" among many others. Many of Boothe's songs have been reused in one way or another. On the B-side of the single "Moving Away" was the instrumental "Streets of Gold" by the [[Skatalites]]. Boothe continued to record for Dodd until 1970, when he switched to producer Leslie Kong's [[Beverley's Records]] and reggae, where his success continued with hits such as "Freedom Street" and "Why Baby Why".<ref name="C Larkin"/><ref name="Larkin">Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, {{ISBN|0-7535-0242-9}}, p. 34.</ref>

After Kong died, Boothe recorded for many of Jamaica's top producers during the early 1970s, including [[Keith Hudson]], [[Herman Chin Loy]], [[Vincent "Randy" Chin]], and Phil Pratt.<ref name="Larkin" /> He then formed the group Conscious Minds with [[B. B. Seaton]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

Under a new direction from record producer [[Lloyd Charmers]], Boothe released "[[Everything I Own]]" on [[Trojan Records]], which reached [[Chart-topper|Number One]] in the [[UK Singles Chart]] in 1974.<ref name="C Larkin"/> The song, written by [[David Gates]], was given a sympathetic light [[reggae]] feel and it received airplay and an appreciative audience in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] and was regularly played on the radio stations of the UK due to its "crossover" appeal. [[David Gates]]' own group, [[Bread (band)|Bread]], had had a minor UK hit with the song in the spring of 1972, but it had only reached No. 32.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums 2">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 77}}</ref> Boothe's reggae version of the song "[[Everything I Own]]" reached Number One in the [[UK Singles Chart]] on 26 October 1974, and stayed at the top of the charts for three weeks.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/15130/ken-boothe/ |title=KEN BOOTHE &#124; full Official Chart History|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=2016-10-24}}</ref> It featured [[Lloyd Parks]] on bass guitar, [[Paul Douglas (musician)|Paul Douglas a.k.a. Paul Williams]] on drums, Willie Lindo on guitar, and [[Lloyd Charmers]] on organ, piano and percussion. The recording was produced by Lloyd Charmers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roots-archives.com/release/2481 |title=Ken Boothe - Everything I Own |publisher=Roots Archives |date=2014-03-02 |access-date=2016-10-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018220245/http://www.roots-archives.com/release/2481 |archive-date=18 October 2016}}</ref>

Boothe had one more hit in the UK Singles Chart during the 1970s, "Crying Over You",<ref name="C Larkin"/> which made No. 11,<ref name=":0" /> with Trojan Records' collapse and a split with Charmers losing much of the momentum built up by his two hits.<ref name="amg" /><ref name="500 Number One Hits">{{cite book
| first= Jo
| last= Rice
| year= 1982
| title=The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits
| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd 
| location= Enfield, Middlesex
| isbn= 0-85112-250-7
| page= 163}}</ref> Boothe recorded a reggae version of the standard "[[When I Fall in Love]]" which was released in 1974 on the Studio One label.

In 1978, along with [[Dillinger (musician)|Dillinger]], [[Leroy Smart]], and [[Delroy Wilson]], Boothe was [[Name-dropping|referenced]] by [[lyricist]] [[Joe Strummer]] in [[the Clash]]'s song, "[[(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais]]". Boothe reunited with Charmers in the late 1970s when a revived Trojan Records released the albums ''Blood Brothers'' (first issued on LTD in 1976) and ''Who Gets Your Love'', but the reunion proved to be short-lived.<ref name="amg" /> He continued to record during the 1980s and had a few hits during 1986 and 1987.<ref name="amg" />

In more recent times, Boothe has recorded for [[Bunny Lee]], [[Phil Pratt]], [[King Jammy]], Pete Weston, [[Jack Ruby (record producer)|Jack Ruby]], Hugh "Red Man" James, Castro Brown and Tappa Zukie. In 1995 a version of "The Train Is Coming", re-worked with [[Shaggy (artist)|Shaggy]], was used in the soundtrack for the film ''[[Money Train]]''.<ref name="amg"/>

A two-disc set of Boothe's recordings for [[Trojan Records|Trojan]], ''Crying Over You'', was released in 2001.<ref name="amg">{{cite web|author=Steve Huey |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ken-boothe-mn0000075295/biography |title=Ken Boothe &#124; Biography |publisher=AllMusic|date=1948-03-22 |access-date=2014-01-26}}</ref>

Boothe was awarded the [[Order of Distinction]] for his contribution to Jamaican music by the Jamaican government in 2003.<ref name="2003awards">"[http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20030807T000000-0500_47275_OBS_JIMMY_CLIFF__OM.asp Jimmy Cliff, OM: Singer receives Ja's third highest honour; Baugh, Harding, Hendrickson, Miller get OJ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060330103638/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20030807T000000-0500_47275_OBS_JIMMY_CLIFF__OM.asp |date=30 March 2006 }}", ''[[Jamaica Observer]]'', 7 August 2003, retrieved 6 September 2009.</ref>

==Discography==
[[File:Ken Boothe Ghent November 6 2016 (1).jpg|thumb|Boothe in concert on 6 November 2016 in Ghent]]
[[File:Ras Tingle and Ken Boothe on the set of 'Touch you".JPG|thumb|Boothe (right) with director Ras Tingle in 2011]]

===Albums===
*''Mr Rock Steady'' (1967)
*''More of Ken Boothe'' (1968)
*''Freedom Street'' (1970)
*''Boothe Unlimited'' (1972)
*''Black Gold and Green'' (1973)
*''Let's Get It On'' (1974), Trojan
*''[[Everything I Own (album)|Everything I Own]]'' (1974)
*''Blood Brothers'' (1976)
*''Disco Reggae'' (1978)
*''Showcase'' (1978)
*''Who Gets Your Love'' (1979)
*''I'm Just a Man'' (1979)
*''Reggae For Lovers'' (1979)
*''Got To Get Away Showcase'' (197?)
*''Imagine'' (1986)
*''Don't You Know'' (1987)
*''Talk to Me'' (1990)
*''Power of Love'' (1993)
*''Natural Feeling'' (1995)
*''Acclaimed'' (1996)
*''Gospel Door 2 Door'' (2001)
*''Love is the Ultimate'' (2003)<ref name="Larkin"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ken-boothe-mn0000075295/discography |title=Ken Boothe &#124; Discography |publisher=AllMusic|date=1948-03-22 |access-date=2014-01-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roots-archives.com/artist/138 |title=Artist : Ken Boothe |publisher=Roots Archives |date=2008-12-01 |access-date=2014-01-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214150759/http://roots-archives.com/artist/138 |archive-date=14 February 2014}}</ref>
*''Journey'' (2012)

===Compilation albums===
*''A Man and His Hits'' (1974)
*''Live Good'' (1978)
*''The Ken Boothe Collection'' (Trojan 1987)
*''The Ken Boothe Collection'' (Rhino 1995)
*''Crying Over You - Anthology 1963 to 1978'' (2001)
*''Everything I Own - The Definitive Collection'' (2007)

===UK hit singles===
*"[[Everything I Own]]" - (1974) - UK No. 1
*"Crying Over You" - (1974) - UK No. 11<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums 1">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 71}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ken Boothe}}
*{{Official website|http://www.kenboothemusic.com/}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boothe, Ken}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Singers from Kingston, Jamaica]]
[[Category:Jamaican reggae singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Jamaican male singers]]
[[Category:Island Records artists]]
[[Category:Trojan Records artists]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Distinction]]
[[Category:21st-century Jamaican male singers]]