Admiral Bailey (born Glendon Bailey, 24 January 1952,[1] Kingston, Jamaica)[2] is a Jamaican dancehall deejay who enjoyed his greatest success between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s. He now lives in Jamaica. He has been described as "the hottest dancehall star of the late 1980s".[3]
Admiral Bailey | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Glendon Bailey |
| Born | 24 January 1952 |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae, dancehall |
| Instrument | Vocals |
Career
editBailey had worked on U-Roy's King Sturgav Hi-Fi sound system and was taken to King Jammy's studio in Waterhouse by Josey Wales.[4] He started a string of hits with a duet with Chaka Demus, "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer",[2] which was followed by "Politician" (based on Larry Marshall's 1969 hit "Throw Me Corn"), "Chatty Chatty Mouth", "Ballot Box" (with Josey Wales) and, in 1987, the slack "Punaany" (with a lyric that included "Gimme Punaany, Want punaany, Any punaany is the same punaany"), which was initially banned from radio play until it was re-recorded with a less offensive lyric, retitled "Healthy Body".[4] His debut album, Kill Them With It, was released in 1987 and he went on to record for producers such as Papa Biggy and Donovan Germain.[2] He recorded further for Penthouse Records ("Help") in 1990 and Bobby Digital ("Ah Nuh Sin") in 1991.[2] In 1993, he began working with Jammy again.[2] In the 1990s he became known as a "clean" deejay, eschewing the slackness of many of his contemporaries.[3] He recorded with Byron Lee on some of the latter's big soca hits, and even starred in television commercials for banks.[3]
Discography
edit- Kill Them With It (1987) Jammys/Live & Love
- Dancehall Showcase Vol. 2: M.C.'s Clash (1987) Mango (with Tonto Irie)
- Undisputed (1988) Dynamic
- Ram Up You Party (1988) Powerhouse
- Science Again (1989) Rohit
- Born Champion (1991) Jammys/Live & Love
- Original (1991) VP
- Mi Big Up (1992) VP
- Undisputed Champion (1993) Rhino
- Best of Reggae: Live (2006) Super Power
References
edit- ^ "Admiral Bailey". Jamadio.co. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1994). The Guinness Who's Who of Reggae (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 0-85112-734-7.
- ^ a b c Kevin O'Brien Chang & Wayne Chen (1998) Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music, Ian Randle Publishers, ISBN 976-8100-67-2, p. 189
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin, ed., (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, pp. 6-7