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Prince Alla

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Prince Allah
Birth nameKeith Lorenzo Blake[1]
Also known asRas Alla, Prince Allah
Born (1950-05-10) 10 May 1950 (age 74)
OriginSt. Elizabeth, Jamaica
GenresRoots reggae
InstrumentVocals
Years activeLate 1960s – present

Keith Lorenzo Blake (born 10 May 1950), better known as Prince Alla (sometimes Prince Allah or Ras Allah) is a Jamaican roots reggae singer whose career began in the 1960s, and has continued with a string of releases into the 2000s.

Biography

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Born in St. Elizabeth, and raised in Greenwich Town, Kingston, Jamaica, Blake's career began in the vocal group The Leaders with Milton Henry and Roy Palmer, who recorded three tracks for producer Joe Gibbs in the late 1960s.[2][3][4] When The Leaders broke up, Blake continued to work with Gibbs, who issued his debut solo release, "Woo Oh Oh".[3] Blake had been interested in the Rastafari movement since he had a vision as a child,[5] and in 1969, Blake's Rastafarian faith saw him get heavily involved in Jamaica's camp community, withdrawing from the music scene and living in Prince Emmanuel Edwards' camp at Bull Bay.[3][6] He re-entered the music scene in the mid-1970s, releasing a single "Born a Fighter" for producer Teddy Powell,[7] before working with Bertram Brown's Freedom Sounds, with a series of recordings, now under the name Prince Alla, that are now regarded as roots reggae classics, such as "Sun Is Shining", "Bucket Bottom", "Lot's Wife", and "Stone".[3] He also recorded for producer Tapper Zukie, including the album Heaven Is My Roof.[6] Continuing interest in his work saw the release of two albums of material from the 1970s on Blood & Fire records, Only Love Can Conquer and I Can Hear The Children Singing, which brought his work to a new audience. Alla continued to release records occasionally through the 1980s and 1990s, including an album with Jah Shaka. Alla has continued to be in demand with digital roots producers, and has released several albums with the likes of Jah Warrior. Since 2010 Prince Alla is touring the world with Rockers Agency and stays in popular demand for live performances across the globe.

Albums

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  • Heaven Is My Roof (1979), Imp
  • The Best of Prince Alla (1980), Redemption Sounds, reissued as Great Stone (1984), High Times
  • King of the Road (1982), Ital International, reissued as Showcase (1984), Vista
  • Jah Children Gather Round (1996), Jah Shaka
  • Sweet Sensation Corner Stone
  • Only Love Can Conquer (1997), Blood & Fire
  • Lion a Go Bite Yu (1999), Headphone Music
  • Glory (2000), Jah Warrior
  • One Bright Day (2002), Back Yard
  • More Love (2002), Jah Warrior
  • I Can Hear The Children Singing (2002), Blood & Fire
  • Archive Recordings Showcase Volume 1 (2009), Archive Recordings
  • Showcase (2020), Burning Sounds Record

References

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  1. ^ "ADDIS ABABA". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  2. ^ Peter I (November 2003). "The Man From Greenwich Farm - Interview With Prince Alla (part 2)". ReggaeVibes. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0242-9.
  4. ^ Campbell, Howard (2015) "Prince Alla's Second Coming", Jamaica Observer, 3 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015
  5. ^ Peter I (November 2003). "The Man From Greenwich Farm - Interview With Prince Alla". ReggaeVibes. Retrieved 9 February 2008. I remember that. I had a vision one night that I see a likkle rastaman, a likkle short rastaman. And the rastaman wave his hand in front of him and there was water come up to his knee. Clear, pretty water. And then he look at me and wave his hand again an´ there was pure fishes swimming in the water. So, when I wake next morning I went to some rastaman an´ aks them seh "you know, I see a likkle short man and he wave his hand and there was water an´ he waves the hand again and there was fishes in the sea.. in the water, and I think I see a likkle short rastaman"? "A Selassie I you see, yunno! Like him short, is Selassie I you see". And they carry an´ show me a picture of His Majesty. And from when I look at the picture of His Majesty it's like a vibe between the vision and the picture is just.
  6. ^ a b Barrow, Steve; Dalton, Peter (1997). Reggae: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-85828-247-0.
  7. ^ Peter I (November 2003). "The Man From Greenwich Farm - Interview With Prince Alla (part 3)". ReggaeVibes. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
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