Carlton Livingston

Like so many Jamaican artists, singer Carlton Livingston was first exposed to the joys of music in church. Born in 1962 in St. Mary, Jamaica, Livingston sang in choirs and in an informal harmony trio (which later morphed into Knowledge) before entering the music business in earnest when he recorded “The Tale of Two Cities” in 1978 at Channel One. He eventually ended up working with several of the top Jamaican producers, including Coxsone Dodd, Winston Riley, Sly & Robbie, Clive Jarrett, and King Jammy, among others. His signature song, “100 Weight of Collie Weed,” was a huge island hit in 1984, and was the feature song on the subsequent album Fret Dem a Fret. Livingston recorded sparingly thereafter, finally releasing Emotions in 1994. Four years later Livingston had an international hit when he recut his earlier “Rumours” track, this time with Shabba Ranks on board and production by Bobby Digital. Currently, Livingston makes his home in the U.S. and continues to record and perform at his own pace. ~ Steve Leggett