Little Roy is a Jamaican reggae singer from Witfield Town, Jamaica, also known as Roy Rogers and Earl Lowe. He is associated with reggae and ska, and his work is rooted in Rastafari themes.

Career

Roy begins recording as a teenager in the mid-1960s, when he auditions material written by his older brother Campbell for Jackie Mittoo at Studio One. Although that first single does not become a hit, he soon records for Prince Buster, then moves on to producer Lloyd “Matador” Daley.

His first major success comes in 1969 with “Bongo Nyah,” recorded with the Hippy Boys and reaching number one in Jamaica. Around this time he becomes more deeply involved with Rastafari teachings and starts seeking greater control over his music.

Labels and recordings

Roy forms his own Tafari and Earth labels with Munchie Jackson and Lloyd Barnes. He records a series of singles for these imprints, including “Black Bird,” “Tribal War,” “Prophesy,” “Christopher Columbus,” “Earth,” and “Jah Can Count on I.”

In 1974, he works at Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark studio in Washington Gardens, where “Tribal War” is recorded and becomes a roots reggae classic. The song is later versioned by singers including John Holt, Junior Reid, and Freddy McKay, and by DJs such as Dillinger, Trinity, and Prince Far I.

Other late-1970s recordings include the 12-inch singles “Long Time Rock Steady” and “Skanking on the Banking,” cut for Herman Chin-Loy and notable for their dancehall approach. He returns to a roots sound with Columbus Ship in 1981, recorded at Channel One and mixed by Scientist.

Later work and reissues

Roy records into the early 1980s, then returns with Prophesy in 1989, a collection of 1970s material in both original and reworked forms. Victory Dance, a one-rhythm album built around “Prophesy,” follows at the start of the 1990s.

Live On appears in 1990, after which he tours Europe with Gregory Isaacs. Pressure Sounds later reissues material on the Tafari Earth Uprising and Packin’ House sets, and Adrian Sherwood brings him into a London studio for Longtime.