Kenneth George Boothe, known simply as Ken Boothe, has left an indelible mark on the music industry for over five decades. He has garnered local and global acclaim over artistic prowess, vocal talent, dancing skills and versatility, spanning genres from ska to reggae to R&B.
Ken Boothe was born in the Denham Town area of Kingston, Jamaica, in 1948. His mother and older sister were singers, and he grew up listening to the music of Otis Redding, Mahalia Jackson, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett and The Drifters. He was only eight years old when he won his first singing contest, and his musical career took off in the early sixties as part of the duo Stranger And Ken with his friend Winston “Stranger” Cole.
Stranger And Ken gained popularity between 1963 and 1965 on Clement “Coxsone” Dodd‘s Studio One label with hits like “World’s Fair,” “Artibella,” “Hush,” and “Thick in Your Love”. Encouraged by Coxsone Dodd, Boothe and Cole embarked on solo careers.
Ken Boothe quickly established himself as one of the hottest new stars in 1966 with hits like “You’re No Good,” “Feel Good,” and the soulful “The Train Is Coming” with backing by the Wailers. His first album, Mr. Rock Steady, was released in 1968 and included his famous song “Puppet on a String”.
While Boothe worked mainly with Dodd until 1970, he also occasionally collaborated with other producers such as Sonia Pottinger, Keith Hudson and Phil Pratt. Some of his songs were covers of American and British rock and soul tunes, and Ken Boothe was often referred to as the Wilson Pickett of Jamaican music.
In 1971, Ken Boothe released his inspirational hit song “Freedom Street” on Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s label. Following Kong’s untimely death, Boothe freelanced for various producers during the early seventies, including Bunny Lee, B.B. Seaton, Keith Hudson and Niney the Observer.
More successes arrived as he worked with producer Lloyd Charmers on the U.K. Trojan label. Most notably, in 1974, he topped the international charts with “Every Thing I Own”, staying at #1 on the British Top Of The Pops Charts for four weeks.
During the 1980s, Boothe released occasional singles, re-recorded his Studio One material and had some comeback hits with “Don’t You Know”, produced by Tapper Zukie.
Throughout the decades, Ken blended his traditional style and original vocal sound with current rhythms and a mixture of melodies. In 2003, the Jamaican government awarded Boothe with the Order of Distinction for his contribution to Jamaican music.
Sources:
Biography by Steve Huey on allmusic.com
Biography on reggaeville.com