Thursday 22 May 2008
Coming from a rich musical history, Clinton Fearon hails from deep in the hills of St. Catherine, Jamaica. As a youth, he went to Kingston in the early 1970s and, for over 18 years, he was the well known bassist, vocalist, and lyricist for famed reggae performers The Gladiators. Fearon was a house musician for Coxsonne Dodd’s Studio One and Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark Studio, and composed many lasting bass lines for Yabby You, Jimmy Riley, Max Romeo, Junior Byles and many others. Upon relocating to the United States, Fearon co-founded the popular reggae group, The Defenders. Fearon wrote the lyrics and sang lead vocals on The Defenders’ EP, Chant Down Babylon/Rock Your Bones; the effort reached #14 on The Reggae Route Top 20 (CMJ New Music Report, 1989) and on radio and magazine charts around the country.
With international credits including “Roast Fish and Cornbread” (Black Ark Studio, produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry) and “Chatty Chatty Mouth” (produced by Prince Tony on the album Trenchtown Mix Up and later released on Taboul’s Back to Roots), Fearon released his first compilation of original songs, Feel the Spirit, in 1990. In 1994, Disturb The Devil, a collection of 13 songs written and produced by Fearon, quickly received critical acclaim around the globe. Mystic Whisper was released in early 1997 (Peacemaker Records) and was immediately voted the Number One Release by Reggae Vibes/CRM Radio 102.7 FM (in cooperation with RUNNetherlands) and selected #2 Independent U.S. Release by the prestigious international music magazine, Reggae Report.