Roy Shirley

Ainsworth Roy Rushton Shirley (18 July 1944 – July 2008), better known simply as Roy Shirley, and also known as King Roy Shirley and The High Priest, was a Jamaican singer whose career spanned the ska, rocksteady and reggae eras, and whose "Hold Them" is regarded by some as the first ever rocksteady song. He was also one of the original members of Slim Smith's band, The Uniques.

Biography Shirley was born on North Street in Kingston, Jamaica, on 18 July 1944, and grew up in Trench Town, where he attended the Boys Town school, and after singing in his local church choir began his career performing in talent contests. His second prize performance on Vere Johns' talent show brought him to the attention of then Minister of Culture Edward Seaga and bandleader Byron Lee, who gave him work on shows that they promoted. and inspired by the beat from a Salvation Army band. Shirley's style draws heavily from American soul singers such as Solomon Burke. In late 1968, Shirley set up his own Public label and began self-production, releasing tracks such as "Prophecy Fulfilling", "Flying Reggae", and "On Board". He recorded a single, "Love Your Mother" backed with "I Am The Merciful" which was released on Raymond Morrison's Hawk label in 1979. He performed at Reggae Sunsplash in 1982, and was included on the album of performances from the festival. He continued to perform occasionally, and his last show was at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in June 2008.

Albums The Winner (1976) Trenchtown Good News (1981) GG's The Return of the High Priest (1982) Weed Beat Control Them Volume One (1995) Della International Black Lion Negus Rastafari (1996) Lion Roots Get in the Groove (1997) Rocky One Music Is The Key (2003) Trojan Nice Up The City (2003) King Roy Your Musical Priest (2004) Westside/Demon The High Priest: The Great Roy Shirley Rhino