Famous Jamaican Reggae Singers

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 1 
Bob Marley
(Jamaican Singer, Musician and Songwriter Who is Considered One of the Pioneers of Reggae)
Bob Marley
6
Birthdate: February 6, 1945
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Nine Mile, Jamaica
Died: April 11, 1981

Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who sold 20 million records in his career. He was the first international star to come from the ‘Third World’ and is considered one of the forerunners of reggae. A fusion of reggae, ska and rocksteady was his music’s hallmark. Marley died due to cancer at the age of 36.

 2 
Shaggy
(Reggae Musician & DJ With Hits Like 'It Wasn't Me'. 'Boombastic' and 'In The Summertime')
Shaggy
4
Birthdate: October 22, 1968
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica

Jamaican reggae singer Orville Richard Burrell, better known as Shaggy, has delivered international hits such as It Wasn't Me and In The Summertime. The two-time Grammy-winning artist was also bestowed with the Jamaican Order of Distinction. He was part of the U.S. Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm.

 3 
Vybz Kartel
(Songwriter)
Vybz Kartel
5
Birthdate: January 7, 1976
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kingston

Jamaican reggae/dancehall musician Vybz Kartel, also known as Worl' Boss, soared to fame with hits such as Romping Shop and Summer Time. In 2014, he was convicted of the murder of his associate Clive "Lizard" Williams and received a life sentence. However, he continues to release music from prison.

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 4 
Stephen Marley
(Jamaican-American Musician and Son of Singer Bob Marley)
Stephen Marley
5
Birthdate: April 20, 1972
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Stephen Marley is a Jamaican-American musician best known for his collaborations with his brothers Damian and Ziggy Marley. Stephen, the son of Bob Marley, is a multiple-time Grammy Award winner and a successful musician, both in the Jamaican and American music industry.

 5 
Spice
(Singer)
Spice
2
Birthdate: August 6, 1982
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Saint Catherine Parish

Grace Latoya Hamilton, better known by her stage name Spice, is a dancehall singer, songwriter, and recording artist. She is one of the world's most popular female dancehall artists and is dubbed the Queen of Dancehall. Also known for her philanthropic efforts, Spice established the Grace Hamilton Women Empowerment Foundation in 2018, in an attempt to uplift young women.

 6 
Gregory Isaacs
(Known as The Cool Ruler, he sang hundreds of Jamaican dancehall classics like "My Only Lover")
Gregory Isaacs
5
Birthdate: July 15, 1951
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Died: October 25, 2010

Jamaican reggae musician Gregory Isaacs, also known as the Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover, soared to fame with the track Night Nurse. He excelled in both romantic ballads and socially relevant songs. He sold marijuana in his early days and had a lifelong drug problem. He was also once imprisoned for possessing firearms.

 7 
Cedella Booker
(Jamaican Reggae Singer and the mother of Reggae Musician ‘Bob Marley')
Cedella Booker
3
Birthdate: July 23, 1926
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
Died: April 8, 2008

Cedella Booker was a Jamaican singer best remembered as the mother of Bob Marley. Booker is credited with conceiving and creating an annual music event, which came to be known as the 9 Mile Music Festival. While Marley helped popularize the festival, Cedella Booker helped spread the legend of Marley far and wide by authoring two books on her son.

 8 
Toots Hibbert
(Reggae Singer & the Lead Vocalist for the Reggae and Ska Band 'Toots and the Maytals')
Toots Hibbert
2
Birthdate: December 8, 1942
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: May Pen, Jamaica
Died: September 11, 2020

Toots Hibbert was a Jamaican singer-songwriter best remembered for his association with the musical group Toots and the Maytals where he was the lead vocalist. A pioneer of reggae music, Toots Hibbert helped establish the fundamentals of reggae over a course of his six decade-long career. His song Do the Reggay is credited as the origin of the name reggae.

 9 
Dennis Brown
(Jamaican Reggae Singer)
Dennis Brown
2
Birthdate: February 1, 1957
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Died: July 1, 1999

Arguably the most popular Jamaican reggae singer of his time, Dennis Brown popularized what is now known as lovers rock. The Grammy-nominated singer started singing at age 9 and later soared to fame with tracks such as Africa. He had a lifelong struggle with drugs and of a lung collapse.

 10 
Burning Spear
(Jamaican Roots Reggae Singer-Songwriter, Vocalist and Musician)
Burning Spear
2
Birthdate: March 1, 1945
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: St. Ann Parish, Jamaica

Winston Rodney, better known as Burning Spear, is one of the most popular roots reggae singers from Jamaica. He has often depicted Rastafarianism in his works. Along with Rupert Willington, he soared to fame with the track Door Peep. The 2-time Grammy winner is best known for the album Calling Rastafari.

 11 
Bounty Killer
(Singer)
Bounty Killer
2
Birthdate: June 12, 1972
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica

Bounty Killer is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae deejay. One of the most popular and aggressive dancehall deejays of the '90s, Bounty Killer is also widely regarded as one of the greatest dancehall lyricists. He is also well-known for his feuds with popular contemporaries like Beenie Man.

 12 
Koffee
(Rapper)
Koffee
6
Birthdate: February 16, 2000
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Spanish Town, Jamaica

Koffee is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, deejay, rapper, and guitarist. She is best known for her 2019 extended play Rapture, which earned her the prestigious Grammy Award, making her the only woman and youngest person to receive the award under the Best Reggae Album category.

 13 
Barrington Levy
(Jamaican Reggae and Dancehall Artist)
Barrington Levy
2
Birthdate: April 30, 1964
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Clarendon, Jamaica

Barrington Levy is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist. He is best known for his 2015 album Acousticalevy, which earned him a Grammy Award nomination under the Best Reggae Album category in 2016. Over the course of his illustrious career, Barrington Levy has also collaborated with other popular artistes like Bounty Killer and Snoop Dogg.

 14 
Busy Signal
(Jamaican Dancehall Reggae Artist)
Busy Signal
2
Birthdate: January 24, 1979
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: St. Ann Parish, Jamaica

Busy Signal is a Jamaican musician, songwriter, producer, and deejay. He has released several successful albums, such as Reggae Music Again and Parts of the Puzzle. Also an entrepreneur, Busy Signal announced his own clothing line in 2011. He made headlines the following year when he was arrested and extradited to the US where he faced cocaine-related charges.

 15 
Alton Ellis
(Jamaican Reggae Singer and Musician)
Alton Ellis
2
Birthdate: September 1, 1938
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Trench Town, Kingston, Jamaica
Died: October 10, 2008

Alton Ellis was a Jamaican singer and songwriter best remembered as one of the innovators of a Jamaican music genre called rocksteady. Nicknamed the Godfather of Rocksteady, Alton Ellis was made an inductee of the International Reggae and World Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2006 for his contribution to Jamaican music.

 16 
Max Romeo
(Reggae and roots reggae recording musician)
Max Romeo
2
Birthdate: November 22, 1947
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: St. Ann Parish, Jamaica

Max Romeo is a Jamaican reggae recording artist whose songs have been featured on several music charts in the United Kingdom and in his home country. In 1968, Max Romeo released his single Wet Dream, which gave rise to a new style of reggae.

 17 
Junior Delgado
(Jamaican Reggae Singer)
Junior Delgado
0
Birthdate: August 25, 1958
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Died: April 11, 2005

Junior Delgado was a reggae singer best remembered for his roots style, a subgenre of reggae. He achieved popularity in the 1970s and 1980s with the release of hit albums like Dance a Dub and Taste of the Young Heart. He was also imprisoned for 18 months in the 1980s for a drug-related offence. Junior Delgado died at age 46.

 18 
Dobby Dobson
(Singer)
Dobby Dobson
6
Birthdate: July 5, 1942
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Died: July 21, 2020

Dobby Dobson was a Jamaican record producer and singer whose contribution to reggae music earned him the prestigious Order of Distinction from the Governor-General of Jamaica in 2011. Dobby Dobson was also featured in a 2009 documentary titled Dobby Dobson: An Interview with Jamaica's Music Ambassador.