Veteran Deejay U Brown Says Dancehall Pioneer U Roy Inspired Him To Choose Music Career

Veteran deejay U Brown says the late Dancehall pioneer U-Roy inspired him to choose a music career.

“During the late 60s, when I was growing up in Tower Hill, I saw U Roy moving around the community all the time. He was the top DJ on King Tubbys sound-system in those days. Around the same time, he started his recording career. By the early 70s, he was very popular. Despite his popularity, he was very cool and humble,” U Brown said.

U-Roy passed away on February 17 at the age of 78.

Brown continued, “U Roy inspired me to become a deejay. I used to play his songs on the Jukebox and sing along with them. That’s how I learned to deejay. Eventually, I began to create my own lyrics and do my thing. The first sound-system I worked on was Silver Bullet. After that, I got a break to work with King Tubbys; from that point, I just kept going forward in the music business,” he said.

U Brown, whose given name is Huford Brown, began his recording in 1973 by releasing a pair of recordings, Jamaican Tobacco and Wet Up You Pant Foot. Winston Edwards produced both songs.

He followed up with several other recordings, but he didn’t get his big break until 1978, when he scored his first big hit with a song titled Weather Balloon on his Hit Sound label.

U Brown is currently promoting two recently released singles, Money Worries featuring Singing Ray on the Axx Of Jahpostles label and Far Away featuring Wayne Wade on the Drop Di Bass Records imprint.

He’s also working on an album with veteran musicians Devon Bradshaw (Bassist) and Beezy Coleman (Guitarist).

“I am putting out some new music for the fans, so far, I’ve released two singles, and the feedback is good. I’m also working on a 17 track album. We don’t have a title for it as yet or a release date, but it’s going to be a great album,” he said.

Some of U Brown’s other hits are Keep On My Knocking, which done with Jacob Miller, Say What You Say with Dennis Brown, Border, which was done with Gregory Isaacs and Gi Mi Di Music which British-Jamaican Reggae group Musical Youth sampled.