REVISITING GARNET SILK’S LEGACY, TWENTY YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH!

IN exactly one month, it will be 20 years since the death of roots-reggae singer Garnet Silk. He and his mother died in an explosion at her Manchester home on December 9, 1994.

To mark the milestone, the Jamaica Observer will revisit the influential vocalist’s achievements in a brief, but remarkable career which got off the ground in 1992 with his cover of Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now (done with dub poet Yasus Afari).

Since his death at age 28, a number of compilation albums have been released. Most showcase the hit songs he recorded for various producers including Courtney Cole, Steely and Clevie, Donovan Germain, Bobby Digital and Sly and Robbie.

Silk (born Garnet Smith) was part of a roots renaissance in the 1990s that also included his close friends Afari, deejay Tony Rebel and singer Everton Blender. Their rise from the south-central parishes of Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth triggered a Rastafarian revival not seen in reggae since the heady 1970s.

He recorded hits like Mama Africa, Green Line, Love is The Answer and Kingly Character for different producers. At the time of his death, he was working on a debut album for major label Atlantic Records.

That set was eventually released in 2000.