Jimmy Riley's rebirth

Reggae musician Jimmy Riley, born Martin James Norman Riley, the father of reggae superstar Tarrus Riley, is again back on his usual musical groove with the rising success of a recently released single.

According to several accounts, Anywhere I Lay My Head is doing well in Europe, a market to which Riley is no stranger.

It was in Europe that Riley first gained recognition in 1983 when he topped the United Kingdom reggae chart with his version of Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing.

His catalogue includes several of the '70s and '80s hits such as Tell The Youths The Truth, Nyah Bingi, and Clean Up The Streets.

Since the success of the '70s and '80s, Riley has been recording independently, releasing albums while travelling to various parts of the world.

Riley maintained a steady track record in music, working extensively with notable music producers, among them Sly and Robbie for their Taxi Productions.

Riley's son, Tarrus, later ventured into music. The success of the son has, in turn, re-energised the career of the father.

In fact, the two have performed together several times, headlining a number of festivals and concerts throughout the years both locally and internationally. Notably, the elder Riley and his son have been receiving steady rotation for their Taxi Records produced single Pull Up Selector. These days, one may find Jimmy Riley busy completing the touches to his soon-to-be-released album, titled Contradictions, for the Chiney K Label.

The project includes tracks such as The Best Business, Slow Motion Swag, Brand New Smaddy and the title track, Contradictions.

Lengthy career

Jimmy Riley proudly sits among a small crop of reggae musicians from the '70s who are still actively recording today.

"Well, I'm just grateful that at this stage of the game, I'm still blessed to be making good music that is still sought after by fans across the world. It's truly a blessing that I will forever be humbled by," said Riley.

The veteran artiste has quite a few contractual obligations in the books, with promoters for shows and other guest appearances.

The appearances form part of his international campaign to promote the Anywhere I Lay My Head single and the new album.

The elder Riley is booked to perform for the Lady Junie Foundation's Old School Meets New School show in December.