Owen Gray

Owen Gray (5 July 1939 – 20 July 2025), also known as Owen Grey, was a Jamaican musician. His work spans the R&B, ska, rocksteady, and reggae eras of Jamaican music, and he has been credited as Jamaica's first home-grown singing star.

Life and career Gray was born in Jamaica on 5 July 1939. He won his first talent contest at the age of nine, and by the age of 12 he was already appearing in public, playing drums, guitar, and keyboards. He was the first singer (of many) to praise a sound system on record, with his "On the Beach" celebrating Clement Dodd's 'Sir Coxsone Downbeat' system in 1959, one of the first releases on Dodd's Studio One label.

Gray's first single, "Please Let Me Go", reached the top of the charts in Jamaica, and featured a guitar solo from Australian musician Dennis Sindrey who was a member of The Caribs, a studio band that played on many early Owen Gray recordings. The single also sold well in the United Kingdom, as did subsequent releases, prompting Gray to emigrate there in May 1962. Morrison and Edwards comprised the Ram & Tam duo who had a hit with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow".

Gray spent a short time living in New Orleans before returning to Jamaica where he turned his hand to roots reggae, working with producer Bunny Lee, and achieving considerable success. In the 1980s relocated to Miami. He continued to release new material regularly, often concentrating on ballads and gospel music.

Gray died on 20 July 2025, at the age of 86.

Discography Albums Owen Gray Hit After Hit After Hit- Sydney Crooks (Pioneer Internacional) Owen Gray Sings (1961) Starlite (also Island Records in Jamaica) Cupid (1969) Forward on the Scene (1975) Third World Fire and Bullets (1977) Trojan Turning Point (1977) Venture Dreams of Owen Gray (1978) Trojan Battle of the Giants Round 1 (1983) Vista Sounds (with Pluggy Satchmo) Oldies But Goodies (1983) Vista Sounds (split with Delroy Wilson) Max Romeo Meets Owen Gray at King Tubby's Studio (1984) Culture Press (with Max Romeo) Little Girl (1984) Vista Sounds Owen Gray Sings Bob Marley (1984) Sarge This is Owen Gray, Pama Room at the Top (1986) World Enterprise Let's Make a Deal World Enterprise Watch This Sound (1986) Sky Note Stand By Me (1986) Hitbound Prince Buster Memory Lane (1986) Phill Pratt Instant Rapport (1989) Bushranger Ready Willing and Able (1989) Park Heights None of Jah-Jah's Children Shall Ever Suffer (198?) Imperial Living Image (1996) Genesis Gospel Singers Out in the Open (1997) VP The Gospel Truth vol 1 Bushranger Something Good Going On Bushranger Gospel Truth, vol. 2 (1997) Jet Star Derrick Morgan and Owen Gray (1998) Rhino (with Derrick Morgan) True Vibration (1998) Jet Star Do You Still Love Me (1998) First Edition The Gospel Truth vol. 3 (1999) Bushranger On Drive (2000) Jet Star Better Days (2002) Worldsound Let's Start All Over (2003) Jet Star Jesus Loves Me (2004) True Gospel Baby It's You (2005) Worldsound Mumbo Jumbo (2005) Revenge Miss Wire Waist -Pioneer Internacional (Sydney Crooks) Excellence (????), Bushranger Jamaica's First Homegrown Star (2020) Owen Gray – Little Girl + Hit After Hit After Hit (2020) Owen Gray – Singles 1969 – 1972 (2020)

Compilation albums Hit After Hit After Hit (1998) First Edition Pioneer Internacional Hit After Hit After Hit Vol 2 Pioneer Internacional Hit After Hit After Hit Vol 3 Pioneer Internacional Hit After Hit After Hit Vol 4 (198?) Pioneer Internacional Sly & Robbie Presents Owen Gray on Top (1994) Rhino Memory Lane Vol. 1 (2000) Sydney Crooks (Pioneer Internacional) Shook, Shimmy And Shake: The Anthology (2004) Trojan