Winston Francis

Winston Francis

Also known as: Billy Cole

Winston Francis (born 1948) aka Mr Fix It is a Jamaican singer whose career began in the 1960s.

Biography
Born in Kingston in 1948, Francis served an apprentice as a printer before relocating to Miami at the age of 16. He attended music school, and his teacher Chuck Bird arranged for him to perform with the Jackie Gleason Orchestra in front of Spiro Agnew in 1965. He then joined Carlos Malcolm's Afro Jamaicans band, with whom he toured the US and the Caribbean. He was also a member of The Sheridans (with Pat Kelly) In the late 1960s he recorded as a solo artist for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One label, with his debut album Mr. Fix-It released in 1969. This was followed by a second album, California Dreaming in 1970, with the title track released as a single and chosen as 'Hit Pick of the Week' for two weeks running by Tony Blackburn on his BBC Radio 1 show. The single's B-side, "Too Experienced", featured backing vocals from Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer. He relocated to the UK that year. He toured the UK club circuit and recorded for EMI in the 1970s. From 1968 to 1972 Winston had numerous 7" releases on labels such as JJ's, Supreme, WIRL, Bamboo, Coxsone, Punch, Studio One, Tiger, Banana, Decca, Rhino. In 1972 Francis recorded "Blue Moon". The song peaked at number 34 in Australia in February 1973. After a period of inactivity, Francis returned to recording in the early 1980s, releases including the Roy Cousins-produced Just Once. After a break from music when he worked as a youth worker and social worker, he returned in 1987 as a backing vocalist for The Melodians and began working with Trevor Star and the Skaticians. He continued to record in the 1990s, working with Dennis Bovell under the name King Cool, and releasing Ragga Love and Sweet Rock Steady, and guested on Kelly's 1995 album Butterflies. His version of Ben E King's "Stand by Me" was a hit in France, selling over 90,000 copies, leading to work with Sly & Robbie and John Kpiaye. In 2003 he teamed up with fellow veteran AJ Franklin to record the album Stand Firm. In 2004, he released the medley album Feel Good All Over.

Discography (6)

Woman
Recreational And Educational Enterprises • 1978
Africa
Cam-Per • 198X
Just Once
Tamoki Wambesi • 198X
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
California Dreaming Winston Francis California Dreaming BDLPS 216 LP Bamboo 1971
Mr Fix It & California Dreaming Winston Francis Mr Fix It & California Dreaming SOCD 0011 CD Sprint 1969-71
Mr Fix It Winston Francis Mr Fix It CSL 8018 LP Coxsone 1970 1969
Woman Billy Cole Woman LP Recreational And Educational Enterprises 1978 1978
Africa Winston Francis Africa JM 8253 LP Cam-Per 198X
Just Once Winston Francis Just Once TWLP 1011 LP Tamoki Wambesi 198X

Credits & Appearances (5)

Production
Producer 1
Africa
Cam-Per • 198X
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Africa Winston Francis Africa JM 8253 LP Cam-Per 198X
Musicians
Vocals 4
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
California Dreaming Winston Francis California Dreaming BDLPS 216 LP Bamboo 1971
Mr Fix It & California Dreaming Winston Francis Mr Fix It & California Dreaming SOCD 0011 CD Sprint 1969-71
Just Once Winston Francis Just Once TWLP 1011 LP Tamoki Wambesi 198X
Africa Winston Francis Africa JM 8253 LP Cam-Per 198X

Also Appears On (38)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
A Scorcha From Studio 1 Various Artists A Scorcha From Studio 1 LP Bamboo 1969
Fire Down Below Various Artists Fire Down Below CDHB 81 CD Heartbeat 1990
Full Up Various Artists Full Up CDHB 302 CD Heartbeat 2006
Rare Reggae Grooves From Studio 1 Various Artists Rare Reggae Grooves From Studio 1 CDHB 225 CD Heartbeat 2000
Studio One Showcase 45 Various Artists Studio One Showcase 45 SJRCD 546 CD Soul Jazz 2025
Studio One Soul 2 Various Artists Studio One Soul 2 SJRCD 128 CD Soul Jazz 2006
The Best Of Studio One Collection Various Artists The Best Of Studio One Collection CDHB 326 CD Heartbeat 2006
Tribute To Peckings Various Artists Tribute To Peckings PSOL 004 LP Studio 1
From The Dynamic Treasury Vol 1 Various Artists From The Dynamic Treasury Vol 1 JMC 200.119 LP Jamaican Gold 1964-68 1995
Trojan Reggae Rarities Box Set Various Artists Trojan Reggae Rarities Box Set TJETD 215 CD Trojan 1966-77 2004
The Best Of Bruce Ruffin Bruce Ruffin The Best Of Bruce Ruffin CDTRL 449 CD Trojan 1967-71 2001
Trojan Reggae Brothers Box Set Various Artists Trojan Reggae Brothers Box Set TJETD 072 CD Trojan 1967-77 2003
Reggae Time Various Artists Reggae Time CSL 8017 LP Coxsone 1968 1970
Rock Steady Intensified ! Various Artists Rock Steady Intensified ! LP 1060 LP Wirl 1968 1968
Trojan Revive Box Set Various Artists Trojan Revive Box Set TJETD 029 CD Trojan 1968-69 2002
Swing Easy Various Artists Swing Easy CSL 8018 LP Coxsone 1969 1969
From The Dynamic Treasury Vol 2 Various Artists From The Dynamic Treasury Vol 2 JMC 200.120 CD Jamaican Gold 196X-7X 1995
The Story Of Trojan Records Various Artists The Story Of Trojan Records 2775354 CD Trojan 196X-7X 2011
Trojan 35th Anniversary Box Set Various Artists Trojan 35th Anniversary Box Set TJETD 130 CD Trojan 196X-7X 2003
Come Back Darling Johnny Osbourne & The Sensations Come Back Darling TJDDD 342 CD Trojan 1970 2007
Funky Reggae Various Artists Funky Reggae BDLP 206 LP Bamboo 1970 1970
Straighten Up Various Artists Straighten Up PMP 2002 LP Pama 1971 1971
Your Jamaican Girl Various Artists Your Jamaican Girl BDLPS 211 LP Bamboo 1971 1971
This Is Reggae Various Artists This Is Reggae LP 2482 175 LP Polydor 1972-74 1974
Reggae Steady Go Vol. 2 Various Artists Reggae Steady Go Vol. 2 SRNN 7002 LP Rhino 1973 1973
Roots, Vibes & Vision Various Artists Roots, Vibes & Vision TWLP 1025 LP Tamoki Wambesi 1975-83
Vision Of Reggae Various Artists Vision Of Reggae TWLP 1007 LP Tamoki Wambesi 1977-82 1986
Culture Train Various Artists Culture Train LP Soul Beat 197X
Just My Imagination Vol 4 Various Artists Just My Imagination Vol 4 CDTRL 328 CD Trojan 197X 1993
Real Authentic Reggae Volume One Various Artists Real Authentic Reggae Volume One BBECD 105 CD BBE 197X 2008
Savant Sid Bucknor Savant Digital Sid Bucknor Music 197X 2025
Studio One Discomix Various Artists Studio One Discomix SJRCD 103 CD Soul Jazz 197X 2004
Studio One Discomix Various Artists Studio One Discomix SJRCD 103 CD Soul Jazz 197X 2019
Studio One Lovers Rock Various Artists Studio One Lovers Rock SJRCD 422 CD Soul Jazz 197X 2018
70's Hits Reggae Style Various Artists 70's Hits Reggae Style CD Castle Pulse 197X-8X 2007
The Reggae Christmas Collection Various Artists The Reggae Christmas Collection PLSCD 770 CD Pulse 197X-9X 2005
Original Yardie Various Artists Original Yardie TWLP 1059 LP Tamoki Wambesi 198X
Reggae Sunsplash Showcase Various Artists Reggae Sunsplash Showcase CD Tamoki Wambesi 198X
6 albums
5 credits
6 labels
1970 - 1978