They call him “the Jamaican Stevie Wonder”, and indeed, it was the Motown genius who gave inspiration to the young Frankie Paul when Stevie himself paid a visit to the Salvation Army School for the Blind in Kingston, Jamaica. The young Frankie was invited on stage to sing with his idol, and with this encouragement, Frankie, already learning piano, guitar and drums to supplement his vocal abilities, was launched on his journey to reggae superstardom. He cut his first recording, “African Princess”, at the age of 15 for Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, and when in ’83 he bust large with huge hits for Channel One and Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes, the pattern was set for the next decade. Barely a week went by without FP impacting the Reggae and Dancehall charts during the 80s as he worked with some of the biggest producers of the era, including King Jammy, George Phang, Ossie Thomas, Prince Jazzbo and many more. Whether singing ground-breaking gateman tunes like “Worries In The Dance”, cut for both Channel One and Volcano, ganja anthems like the classic “Pass The Tu-Sheng-Peng” or the long string of Lovers’ hits like “Sara” that absolutely ruled charts and hearts through the 80s, Frankie always delivered quality along with quantity. In the studio and on stage, Frankie Paul was one of the most consistent and genuine stars Jamaica has ever produced.
