Horace Andy

Horace Keith Hinds, known professionally as Horace Andy, was born on February 19, 1951, in Kingston, Jamaica. He began his recording career in 1967 with “This is a Black Man’s Country” for producer Phil Pratt. His breakthrough came in 1970 when he successfully auditioned for Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One. Dodd suggested he record as Horace Andy to avoid confusion with his cousin, Justin Hinds, and to capitalize on Bob Andy’s popularity. His first release for Studio One was “Got To Be Sure.” Over the next few years, Andy consistently charted in Jamaica with singles for Dodd, including “See a Man’s Face,” “Night Owl,” “Fever,” and “Mr. Bassie.” His iconic song, “Skylarking,” released as a single after its appearance on the ‘Jamaica Today’ compilation, topped the Jamaican charts. He achieved another Jamaican number one single in 1973 with “Children of Israel.”

In the mid-1970s, Horace Andy established a successful collaboration with producer Bunny Lee, resulting in classic singles such as a re-recorded “Skylarking,” “Just Say Who,” “Don’t Try To Use Me,” “You Are My Angel,” “Zion Gate,” “I’ve Got to Get Away,” and a new version of “Something on My Mind.” He relocated to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1977 and continued to record, releasing the ‘In The Light’ album and singles like “Do You Love My Music” and “Government Land.” He also launched his own Rhythm label. Andy’s 1978 album ‘Pure Ranking’ influenced the emerging dancehall reggae genre, a role further solidified by his 1982 album ‘Dance Hall Style,’ released on the Bullwackie’s label. In 1985, he moved to Ladbroke Grove, London, continuing to record in the UK and Jamaica.

Horace Andy gained wider international recognition starting in 1990 through his collaborations with the British trip-hop group Massive Attack. He contributed vocals to all five of their albums, including five tracks on their 1998 album ‘Mezzanine,’ notably on the song “Angel,” which was a new rendition of his earlier track “You Are My Angel.” His work with Massive Attack continued on their 2010 album ‘Heligoland,’ where he sang on “Splitting the Atom” and “Girl I Love You.” In the mid-1990s, he also collaborated with Mad Professor on albums such as ‘Life Is for Living’ and ‘Roots and Branches.’ He released ‘Living in the Flood’ in 1999 on Massive Attack’s Melankolic label, followed by ‘Mek It Bun’ in 2002. Andy’s musical journey also includes contributions to the world music project 1 Giant Leap and the Easy Star All-Stars’ 2006 album ‘Radiodread.’ In 2022, he released ‘Midnight Rocker,’ produced by Adrian Sherwood, which received critical acclaim.