Read an excerpt below, and the full piece over at United Reggae.
Young Gifted & Yellow: An Interview with Yellowman Anthology Compiler Chris O'Brien
In This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaican Music, author Lloyd Bradley accurately sums up how a recording artist like King Yellowman couldn’t have originated from anywhere but JA: “Nowhere else in the entire world could a six-foot plus albino black man survive a childhood spent in orphanages as a virtual outcast, start boasting about how attractive he was to women and become a reggae phenomenon.” Moreover, Yellowman, born Winston Foster, has outlasted the majority of peers in the entertainment world. At age 57, having beaten back cancer via surgery that has left him permanently disfigured, the King remains active and upbeat.
Fitting, then, that his key work from the 1980s should be reexamined and expanded on, which is what Reggae Anthology: Young, Gifted and Yellow does thoroughly. Over 40 tracks and a DVD with live footage from 1988’s Reggae Sunsplash, the set showcases what Yellowman perfected: riding a riddim–driving it really–with a jovial wit, sharp social perspectives and plenty of bawdy boasts. Gems like “Operation Radication,” on a cut of the Itals “In Dis Ya Time,” the duet “The Girl Is Mine” with Peter Metro or the other crucial collaborations with Fathead and Sister Nancy make this as complete a collection as has ever been assembled... READ MORE.
