George Faith

George Faith

Also known as: Earl George, George Earl

Earl George Lawrence (6 July 1946 - 16 April 2003), also known as George Faith, Earl George and George Earl, was a Jamaican reggae singer best known for his work in the 1970s with producers such as Lee "Scratch" Perry and Bunny Lee.

Biography
Born in Rae Town, Lawrence was the son of a barber and a factory cook. His singing talent was first noted as a member of the school choir. He made his recording debut in 1970 with "See Me," produced by Clancy Eccles. In the early 1970s he worked with singer/producer Glen Lee, recording "Green Hills, I Won't Cry" and "Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got". During the mid-1970s he was approached by Lee Perry, who ran a record shop a few doors away from Lee's studio, and under the name "George Earl" recorded a cover of William Bell's "To Be A Lover". This was followed by "Soulful Lover", "Since I Met You Baby" and "Island in the Sun" for producer Lloyd Campbell, and "Love Is Something", "So Many Ways" and "Love Depression" for Phil Pratt. Lawrence recorded eight tracks with Perry, all covers of American soul and pop hits, at the Black Ark studio. These recordings took around eight months, which prompted Perry to suggest a stage name for George, telling him "You have a lot of faith. You should change your name to George Faith". As a result of Perry's deal with Island Records, the first record to be credited to "George Faith" was released in July 1977. "To Be a Lover" was issued on Island's Black Swan label, and proved more popular than any of the previous Jamaican versions of the song. The Jamaican release of the disco (12-inch single) featured a mix lasting nearly twelve minutes. Island issued "I've Got The Groove" as a follow-up, and a third disco 45 was issued later with George's cover of Wilson Pickett's "Midnight Hour". The productions by Lee "Scratch" Perry were collected together for George Faith's debut album, To Be a Lover, also released in Jamaica under the title Super Eight. The album proved popular, and a further single, "Opportunity" was released in February 1978. Lawrence recorded a second album with Perry at the Black Ark in 1978, Working on the Guideline, although the album was not released, with only a few tracks being released, the singles "Guideline" and "Don't Be Afraid", Lawrence now recording original material with more "conscious" themes. Lawrence was also due to go on a tour that Perry was arranging with Island Records, but the plans were shelved in the midst of the erratic behaviour of Perry that would eventually lead to the destruction of the Black Ark. Also in 1978, Lawrence recorded an album with Phil Pratt, One & Only, credited to "Earl George" and issued on the Trojan Records subsidiary Burning Sounds. He also recorded for Alvin Ranglin, these tracks issued in 1979 as the album Loving Something. He then recorded an album for Bunny Lee, Soulful, which took a similar approach to his first album and featured new versions of "To Be a Lover" and "Turn Back The Hands of Time". He again worked with Ranglin in the early 1980s on the Since I Met You Baby album. After living in Canada for a few years, he returned to the Jamaican recording scene in 1986, and released another album, Sings For Lovers Only in 1987. Lawrence died in 2003 from cancer, at the age of 56.

Discography (8)

Credits & Appearances (5)

Musicians
Vocals 4
Super Eight
Black Art • 1977
One & Only
Burning Sounds • 1978
First Class
Top Rank • 1986
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Super Eight George Faith Super Eight LP Black Art 1977 1977
One & Only Earl George One & Only BS 1015 LP Burning Sounds 1978 1978
First Class George Faith First Class LP Top Rank 1986 1986
Sings For Lovers Only George Faith Sings For Lovers Only NH 315 LP Nighthawk 1987 1987

Also Appears On (19)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Foolish Fool & Herbsman Reggae Various Artists Foolish Fool & Herbsman Reggae DBCDD 053 CD Doctor Bird 1968-70 2020
I Am The Upsetter Lee Scratch Perry & Various Artists I Am The Upsetter TJNBX 225 CD Trojan 1968-78 2005
Ultimate Collection Various Artists Ultimate Collection CD 314541301-2 CD Hip-O 1970-79 2000
The Return Of Sound System Scratch Various Artists The Return Of Sound System Scratch PSCD 70 CD Pressure Sounds 1973-79 2011
Produced And Directed By The Upsetter Various Artists Produced And Directed By The Upsetter PSCD 19 CD Pressure Sounds 1974-77 1998
Sipple Out Deh Lee Scratch Perry & Friends Sipple Out Deh SPECXX2042 CD Trojan 1974-78 2010
Tafari History Various Artists Tafari History CD Sunshine 1974-79 2001
Heart Of The Ark Various Artists Heart Of The Ark SLLP 1 LP Seven Leaves 1975-78 1982
Disco Devil Lee Scratch Perry & Friends Disco Devil UMC 9802 CD Trojan 1975-79 2012
Arkology Various Artists Arkology CRNCD 6 CD Island 1976-79 1997
Larks From The Ark Various Artists Larks From The Ark NTMCD 511 CD Nectar 1976-79 1995
Reggae Greats Lee Scratch Perry & Various Artists Reggae Greats IRG 12 LP Island 1976-79 1985
For Lovers And Rockers Vol 1 Various Artists For Lovers And Rockers Vol 1 WARLP 2003 LP Warrior 1979 1979
Mr Perry I Presume Lee Perry Mr Perry I Presume PSCD 89 CD Pressure Sounds 197X 2015
Scratch On The Wire Various Artists Scratch On The Wire ILPS 9583 LP Island 197X 1979
The Best Of Various Artists The Best Of B0002518 02 CD Island 197X 2004
Hits Of The Past Vol2 Various Artists Hits Of The Past Vol2 ANGCD 017 CD Angella 197X-8X
Simply Reggae Various Artists Simply Reggae SIMPLYCD 012 CD Union Square Music 197X-8X 2005
Love Yard Style Various Artists Love Yard Style PR-MVC 016 LP Puff 198X
8 albums
5 credits
7 labels
1977 - 1987