Winston Groovy

Winston Groovy

Also known as: Winston Tucker

Winston Gilbert Tucker (born 1946), better known as Winston Groovy, is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for his recordings between the late 1960s and 1980s.

Biography
Tucker was born in the Waltham Park Road area of Kingston, Jamaica in 1946. His first recording session was for producer and sound system operator King Edwards, which resulted in "She's Mine"; It was never released but was played exclusively on Edwards' sound system. Tucker relocated to Birmingham, England in 1961 to join his father. He joined The Ebonites while still at school and toured with the band. He moved to London in 1969 and began working with producer Laurel Aitken, adopting the stage name Winston Groovy. He had minor hits with "Yellow Bird" and "Standing on the Corner" and had his first big hit with the Lee "Scratch" Perry-produced "I Wanna Be Loved". With Aitken, he recorded a reggae version of Rufus Thomas' "Funky Chicken". Further 1970s singles included a cover version of Dr. Hook's "Sylvia's Mother", "Oh My My", "I've Got a Nose for Trouble", and "Please Don't Make Me Cry", recorded in 1970 for Eddy Grant's Torpedo label. He continued to record in the 1980s and his career was given a boost in 1983 when UB40 recorded a version of "Please Don't Make Me Cry" for their Labour of Love album, which was also a top 10 single for the band. This led Trojan Records to reissue the original. Groovy had a minor hit in 1985 with a reggae version of The Commodores' "Nightshift", reaching number 83 in the UK. In 1990, he set up the W.G. Records label, and released his self-produced albums Talking Love, Please Don't Make Me Cry and Coming on Strong. In 2000, Groovy performed as a guest on UB40's Labour of Love III tour at the Brixton Academy and Wembley Arena, and he recorded the UB40 song "Don't Slow Down" for the 2002 album UB40 Present the Fathers of Reggae.

Credits & Appearances (3)

Production
Producer 1
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
African Girl Winston Groovy African Girl LP Blue Moon 1984 1984
Musicians
Vocals 2
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
The Groovy Collection Winston Groovy The Groovy Collection TRLS 155 LP Trojan 1978 1978
Please Don't Make Me Cry Winston Groovy Please Don't Make Me Cry TJACD 196 CD Trojan 197X-8X 2004

Also Appears On (22)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
20 Reggae Classics Vol 2 Various Artists 20 Reggae Classics Vol 2 CDTRL 224 CD Trojan 1966-74 1988
Reggae In Your Jeggae Various Artists Reggae In Your Jeggae CDTRL 358 CD Trojan 1968-72 1996
Loch Ness Monster & Funky Chicken Various Artists Loch Ness Monster & Funky Chicken DBCDD 088 CD Doctor Bird 1969-70 2021
Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set Various Artists Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set TJETD 003 CD Trojan 196X 2002
Trojan Originals Box Set Various Artists Trojan Originals Box Set TJETD 098 CD Trojan 196X-7X 2003
Trojan Reggae Chill Out Box Set Various Artists Trojan Reggae Chill Out Box Set TJETD 115 CD Trojan 196X-7X 2003
Trojan Sunshine Reggae Box Set Various Artists Trojan Sunshine Reggae Box Set TJETD 185 CD Trojan 196X-7X 2004
Funky Chicken Various Artists Funky Chicken TBL 137 LP Trojan 1970 1970
Reggae Strings Vol 1&2 Johnny Arthey Orchestra & Various Artists Reggae Strings Vol 1&2 DBCDD 063 CD Doctor Bird 1970-74 2020
Straighten Up Various Artists Straighten Up PMP 2002 LP Pama 1971 1971
Straighten Up Vol 2 Various Artists Straighten Up Vol 2 PMP 2007 LP Pama 1971 1971
This Is Reggae Vol 2 Various Artists This Is Reggae Vol 2 PMP 2005 LP Pama 1971 1971
Complete UK Upsetter Singles Collection Vol 4 Various Artists Complete UK Upsetter Singles Collection Vol 4 CDTAL 905 CD Trojan 1971-73 1998
20 Tighten Ups Vol 2 Various Artists 20 Tighten Ups Vol 2 TRLS 111 LP Trojan 1974-75 1975
Cactus Classics Various Artists Cactus Classics CT 3009 CD Cactus 197X 2002
Café Jamaica Various Artists Café Jamaica METRCD 165 CD Union Square Music 197X 2005
Reggae Chartbusters Vol 5 Various Artists Reggae Chartbusters Vol 5 2711952 CD Trojan 197X 2009
The Original Labour Of Love Collection Various Artists The Original Labour Of Love Collection CDTRL 432 CD Trojan 197X 1999
Trojan Suedehead Reggae Box Set Various Artists Trojan Suedehead Reggae Box Set TJETD 169 CD Trojan 197X 2004
39 Shades Of Reggae Various Artists 39 Shades Of Reggae RIPEXD 193 CD Ripe 197X-8X 1994
Reggae Love Songs Various Artists Reggae Love Songs TDSAN 001 CD Trojan 197X-8X 2003
The Reggae Christmas Collection Various Artists The Reggae Christmas Collection PLSCD 770 CD Pulse 197X-9X 2005
5 albums
3 credits
3 labels
1974 - 2004