Trevor Hartley : Biography

Trevor Hartley - Hartical
JOVECD2 / JOVELP2

DUB MISSIVE (Pilgrim's Perspective): "This is one of those albums on which I can confidently select any track for airplay and know the listening audience will be pleased, and so will you."

REGGAE BEAT (Chuck Foster's Reggae Update): "Hartical sure caught my attention fast.. . If like me you're always looking for positive new artists, give a listen to Hartical and you'll be pleasantly impressed."

DANCE HALL: "The magical voice of Trevor Hartley can be heard again on his long-awaited album Hartical... an album that should be included in your collection."

ECHOES: "Trevor Hartley is one of our most underrated singers, but that's hopefully all about to change with the release of his new album Hartical. It's a wonderful set, and... it would be an understatement to say it's overdue! Lovers - and lovers of fine reggae music - won't be disappointed."

REGGAE TRADE: "Trevor Hartley's songwriting talents come into their own on this new LP, and profile him in a new light... as the diverse and creative talent that he is."

Trevor Hartley Biography

Trevor Hartley hails from Morant Bay in Jamaica's St. Thomas parish. As a youth, he dreamed of being a singer and was encouraged by people who heard his unique and powerful voice - but growing up in the country, he could only listen to the great Jamaican vocalists and long to travel to Kingston, the centre of musical opportunities.
Before emigrating to the UK, Trevor did manage to voice two recordings at Randy's, on rhythms laid by the Morwells at Joe Gibbs' studio, for the Pele label.
Once in London, Trevor made almost immediate progress: his first British recordings were with Dennis Bovell and sold 14,000 copies. This was 1978's two-sided smash, "Selassie I" / "Skip Away".
Trevor then worked with producer Phil Pratt on an album entitled 'Innocent Lover'. Unfortunately, soon after its 1979 release, the Burning Sounds label closed down, leaving Trevor's album to become a collector's item still sought after today.

The next venture was with Sugar Minott, who was enjoying both reggae and pop success as the Eighties began. Sugar had decided to extend the work of his Jamaican company, Youth Promotions, by setting up the Black Roots label to showcase British- based talent. The collaboration with Trevor produced the classic track "Africa", which did well on pre-release. However, Sugar's organisational problems with his UK projects meant that it did not get the proper distribution it warranted.
A strong reggae label in the early Eighties was Arawak, which had a UK pop no. 1 with Janet Kay's "Silly Games". Trevor recorded two well-received tracks there, "Hanging Around" and a version of Curtis Mayfield's "Closer Together".

There was then a brief sojourn with the Top Ranking label, which via the group Black Slate also had national chart placements. Neither association yielded the long-term commitment by the companies which would have established Trevor as a consistent presence in the charts.

In 1985, Trevor recorded a stunning interpretation of the Frankie Beverly/Maze classic "Call on Me." Produced by Anthony Brightly (Sir George), it reached no. 4 in the reggae charts. At this point Trevor came to the attention of Maxi Priest's manager, Erskine Thompson, and signed to his Massive label; under Erskine's guidance, the track was re-done with Aswad's Drummie Zeb and Tony Gad producing. The latter version was released by Virgin Records.
During this time, Trevor was also involved with the British Reggae Artists' Famine Appeal (BRAFA) and was one of the lead vocalists - along with Dennis Brown, Aswad, Winston Reedy, Janet Kay and others - on the landmark recording, "Let's Make Africa Green Again", which received national media attention. Trevor had another massive reggae hit with "Hooked on You", which was a reggae no. 1 in 1988. This lead to a three-single deal with London Records. Trevor recorded "Nine til Five" for London, and it reached the lower echelons of the UK pop charts.

During his years with London Records, Trevor worked with Sly Dunbar and Handel Tucker, and with Cleveland and Dalton Browne, Robbie Lyn and Stephen Stanley at Gussie Clarke's Music Works in Kingston. Traditionally, major labels have had a poor track record in guiding the careers of most reggae artists they have signed, and Trevor's case was no exception.
In the early 90s Trevor recorded with Tippa Irie and Peter Hunningale for Peter's Street Vibes label. 1993 saw the release of three singles: "I'm the One Who Loves You", produced by Mad Professor (and also included on Reggae Hits Volume 13); a reggae Top Ten version of Alton Ellis' Studio One classic "Hurting Me"; and "The Way I Feel" from the Various Artists compilation The Songs of Bob Andy.

Trevor's well-received album 'Hartical' (JOVELP2/JOVECD2) features productions by Leroy Sibbles, Mafia & Fluxy, and other reggae luminaries. More recently, Trevor has toured with Bob Andy and Judah Eskender Tafari in the UK, has charted with "Feel the Feeling" on the Rock & Groove label, and now has current singles for Fu Manchu: "Two Sides to A Story", "Mine Again" (1999) and "You're Gonna Need Me" (2000). Trevor Hartley has a faithful following in Britain, but at last he is poised to introduce his songwriting skills and velvet voice to reggae fans worldwide.

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