Early B

Early B

Earlando Arrington Neil (28 February 1957 - 11 September 1994) better known by his stage name Early B, was an early dancehall and reggae deejay whose lyrics had a cultural bent, noted mainly in his hits "Visit of King Selassie", "History of Jamaica" and "Wheely Wheely", the latter an ode to bicycle-riding in Jamaica.

Biography Earlando was born into a poor family and left a promising school career at age seventeen to support his mother and two brothers. He began work as a machine clerk but within a year was elevated to acting supervisor. Neil began performing live on Soul Imperial Hi-Fi alongside his young apprentice, Wild Apache (aka Super Cat) (b. William Maragh). Earlando supposedly earned his stage name as a result of his reputation for arriving to shows early, thus gaining the name Early Bird, then finally Early B. Early B was soon approached, while on vacation with Stuart Brown (owner of African Star Sound), by a larger sound system, King Majesty. King Majesty was the only set to play all over the parish of St. Thomas. In the evenings he dragged the young Supercat out of his yard in Kingston to the countryside where they performed on King Majesty for almost a year. The owner of King Majesty was a manager in the sugar cane industry and was unable to run the sound system during harvest time. Frustration boiled over for "Cat" and Early B who both had ambitions to make it "big time". Their first chance came with Killamanjaro. Killamanjaro began as a sound system in the hills above Kingston with a resident mike-man known by the stage name of "Oh Lord". In 1980-81, the principal reason for the rise of Killamanjaro was because Early B and Supercat had become its crowd-pulling regulars. Soon every hopeful deejay wanted to "hold the mike" on the Killamanjaro sound alongside Early B, who had by now acquired a new nickname - The Doctor. Such was the demand that Killamanjaro set a record, that still holds today, by performing on fifty-two consecutive nights in Kingston. Over the next two years, Early B was in constant demand as a recording artist scoring hits such as Gaterman Get Fraid, Wheel Wheely (also called One Wheely Wheely), Sunday Dish, and Learn Fe Drive. His next step towards the top was a move to the United States where he continued to be a dancehall favourite. Early B's deejay career brought him to other sound systems as well, including the African Star sound system in Toronto, Canada and Crystal Blue Flames Sound in New York City. Early performed throughout the US and England (as well as Jamaica) until he was shot to death inside the Windsor Cricket Club, Dorchester, Massachusetts, on 11 September 1994. While rumours have circulated as to the reasoning behind the murder, his killers have never been found. Early B recorded several albums during the mid-1980s, which remain well-circulated in the digital age today. Several tribute compilation albums have recently been released on CD, such as Immortal and A Memorial Tributed Reggae Hits.

Compilations (3)

Clash Of The 80's Vol 2
Sonic Sounds • 1982-84
Send In The Patient
Culture Press • 1982-85
Immortal
Black Solidarity • 1983-85
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Clash Of The 80's Vol 2 Josie Wales Meets Early B Clash Of The 80's Vol 2 LP Sonic Sounds 1982-84
Send In The Patient Early B Send In The Patient CP 44605-2 CD Culture Press 1982-85 1998
Immortal Early B Immortal BSCD 51 CD Black Solidarity 1983-85 2000

Credits & Appearances (10)

Musicians

Also Appears On (20)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Roots Dancehall Party Various Artists Roots Dancehall Party SKCD 017 CD Silver Kamel 2003
Trojan Creole Reggae Box Set Various Artists Trojan Creole Reggae Box Set TJETD 161 CD Trojan 1964-94 2004
Birth Of Dancehall Various Artists Birth Of Dancehall KSCD 031 CD Kingston Sounds 1976-79 2012
King Jammy's At Channel 1 Various Artists King Jammy's At Channel 1 KSCD 006 CD Kingston Sounds 1977-79 2005
Roots Of Dance Hall Various Artists Roots Of Dance Hall LUXXCD 006 CD Auralux 197X 2004
Auralux Reggae Showcase Various Artists Auralux Reggae Showcase LUXXCD 007 CD Auralux 197X-8X 2004
Bring The Kouchie Come Various Artists Bring The Kouchie Come DB2CD 174 CD Doctor Bird 197X-8X 2026
Dancehall 2 Various Artists Dancehall 2 SJRCD 223 CD Soul Jazz 197X-8X 2016
Dread Broadcasting Corp. Various Artists Dread Broadcasting Corp. TJDDD 167 CD Trojan 197X-8X 2004
Listen Up! Dancehall Originals Various Artists Listen Up! Dancehall Originals KSCD 040 CD Kingston Sounds 197X-8X 2012
Clarks In Jamaica Various Artists Clarks In Jamaica VPGS 7034 CD Greensleeves 197X-9X 2015
Midnight Rock Presents Reggae Veterans Vol 1 Various Artists Midnight Rock Presents Reggae Veterans Vol 1 LP Clocktower 1980-84
Volcano Eruption Henry Junjo Lawes Volcano Eruption VPCD 4162 CD 17 North Parade 1981-85 2010
Midnight Rock Presents Gunshot Rhythm Various Artists Midnight Rock Presents Gunshot Rhythm MRLP 200 LP Midnight Rock 1982 2002
Midnight Rock Presents Ansa Riddim Various Artists Midnight Rock Presents Ansa Riddim MRLP 2001 LP Midnight Rock 1983 2006
Old Vs Young Various Artists Old Vs Young LP Ujama 1987 1987
Cornerstone Connection Josie Wails & The All Stars Cornerstone Connection none LP Corner Stone 198X
Dancehall Various Artists Dancehall SJRCD 196 CD Soul Jazz 198X 2008
DJ Sounds From Uptown - The Dancehall Sound Of Midnight Rock Various Artists DJ Sounds From Uptown - The Dancehall Sound Of Midnight Rock RJMCD 109 CD Roots Records 198X 2010
Trojan Eighties Box Set Various Artists Trojan Eighties Box Set TJETD 253 CD Trojan 198X 2005
12 albums
10 credits
10 labels
1984 - 2000