Luciano

Jepther McClymont OD (born 20 October 1964), better known as Luciano, is a Jamaican second-generation roots reggae singer.

Career

Born in Davyton, Manchester Parish, and raised as the seventh of nine children in a strict Adventist family. Luciano began recording in 1992, with his first single "Ebony & Ivory" (on which he was credited as 'Stepper John') on the Aquarius Record label, followed by a split album with DJ Presley (now credited as 'Luciana') for producer Sky High.

He started working with Philip "Fatis" Burrell, releasing the singles "Chant Out" and "Poor and Simple", with the album Moving Up following in late 1993. The renewal of Rastafarian influence into dancehall music in the early 1990s had begun with artists such as Tony Rebel and Garnett Silk. After Silk's death in late 1994, many looked to Luciano to continue consciousness in reggae music. Of Garnett Silk, he stated "Garnett was more like a brother, a father, a tutor, a forerunner. When he moved on I knew the work for me became harder still."

The following year brought the smash hit album Where There Is Life for Chris Blackwell's label Island Jamaica. It contained such hits as "It's Me Again Jah" (a no. 1 single in Jamaica), "Who Could It Be", as well as the title track.

The majority of his recording in the mid-to-late 1990s was for Burrell and the Xterminator label, which by that time included such artists as Sizzla, Mikey General and Firehouse Crew,

By 2001, Luciano had released two live albums as well as two compilation albums alongside Sizzla and Anthony B after the split with Xterminator. That year saw the release of two new albums of material, Great Controversy on Jet Star and A New Day on VP Records. The latter received a nomination for Best Reggae Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards, and was executive produced by longtime saxophonist and touring partner Dean Fraser. The album received additional production from Sly & Robbie and was backed by Fraser and the Firehouse Crew.

Fraser continued to produce many of Luciano's albums throughout the decade, including 2008's Jah Is My Navigator. In 2010, he released United States of Africa. While the previous album had focused mostly on God, Africa dealt with global events. Of this, Luciano stated, "We're not just singing about Zion and all those glorious dreams. We're also dealing with issues that affect the people, their very minds."

He was awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer on 15 October 2007, in recognition of his contribution to reggae music.

In July 2009, Luciano paid his respects to fellow musician Michael Jackson by releasing a reggae tribute (on Lioni Records) of Jackson's iconic USA for Africa charity song, "We are the World".

Luciano's album Zion Awake was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Luciano at number 143 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Beliefs

Luciano performing at the 2016 Palm Beach Jerk and Caribbean Culture Festival. West Palm Beach, Florida.

Luciano is a devout Rastafarian, whose lyrics promote consciousness and eschew slackness, or vulgarity, which is often prominent in reggae and dancehall music. He has criticized other Rastafarian reggae artists who record slackness material, describing them as having lost focus. The singer is known for reading Biblical verses prior to performances. The singer first performed in the country in 2001,

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee/work Result 2002 44th Annual Grammy Awards Best Reggae Album A New Day 2016 58th Annual Grammy Awards Best Reggae Album Zion Awake

Discography

Studio albums Shake It Up Tonight (1993) Moving Up (1993) Don't Get Crazy (1994) Back to Africa (1994) One Way Ticket (1994) After All (1995) Where There Is Life (1995) Messenger (1996) Sweep Over My Soul (1999) A New Day (2001) Great Controversy (2001) Serve Jah (2003) Visions (2003) Tell It from the Heart (2003) Serious Times (2004) Jah Words (2005) Gideon (2005) Child of a King (2006) God Is Greater than Man (2007) Jah Is My Navigator (2008) United States of Africa (2010) Write My Name (2010) Rub-A-Dub Market (2011) The Qabalah Man (2013) Zion Awake (2014) Embrace Your Failures (2017) In The Name of Love (2019) The Answer (2020)

Live albums Live (2000)