Male Reggae Singers

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.

Grammy Award-nominated American Jewish singer Matisyahu is best known for mingling hip-hop and reggae with beatboxing. Known for tracks such as Chameleon, he has also stepped into acting of late, with roles such as that of Tzadok in the 2012 supernatural thriller The Possession. His work often reflects Jewish themes.

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.

Bunny Wailer was a Jamaican percussionist and singer-songwriter. An original member of a famous band named The Wailers alongside Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, Wailer is regarded as one of the foremost exponents of reggae music. Over the course of his illustrious career, Bunny Wailer received several prestigious awards including three Grammy Awards.

Yellowman is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae deejay who achieved immense popularity in his country in the 1980s. Despite losing a large portion of his lower jaw due to a cancerous tumor, Yellowman has successfully released many studio albums and live albums. He continues to inspire many across Jamaica.

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.

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.

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.

John Williamson is an Australian folk and country music singer-songwriter. A multi-talented individual, JOHN Williamson is also known for his skills as a multi-instrumentalist, conservationist, and television host. One of the most respected musicians in Australia, Williamson has released more than 50 albums and has won several awards. In 2010, he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Grammy-nominated Ghanaian musician Livingstone Etse Satekla is better known by his pseudonym Stonebwoy. A master of reggae and dance hall music in Africa, he began his career with hits such as Climax and Ghetto Love. He also became the first Ghanaian artist to find a place on a Billboard chart.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ken Boothe is a Jamaican singer best known for his distinctive timbre and vibrato. He is widely regarded as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists. Ken Boothe has also achieved international recognition, thanks to a series of crossover hits. In 2003, the Jamaican government honored his immense contribution to Jamaican music with the prestigious Order of Distinction.

Icelandic singer-songwriter Bubbi Morthens was 14 when he left school and began travelling as a migrant fish worker and experimenting with his guitar. While he has been part of bands such as Utangarðsmenn and Egó, he has also had a tough battle with drug addiction earlier and later advocated addiction prevention.

Bigga Haitian is a Haitian singer and musician who achieved popularity in the 1990s. He is best known for successfully breaking into the Jamaican reggae scene and paving the way for several young and aspiring Haitian artists. Some of the most talented Haitian artists like Mecca aka Grimo and Wyclef Jean credit Bigga Haitian as a major influence.

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.

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.