A trailblazer of Jamaican music, Gray leaves behind a legacy that shaped generations.
Owen Gray, one of Jamaica’s foundational voices in ska, rocksteady, and reggae, has died at the age of 86.
The news was confirmed over the weekend, prompting heartfelt tributes from across the global reggae community.
Born in Kingston in 1939, Gray began performing as a child, and by 1959, he became the first artist to record for producer Chris Blackwell’s fledgling label — the company that would later become Island Records.
His single Please Let Me Go helped set the tone for what would evolve into a global movement in Jamaican music.
Gray’s career defied categorisation, spanning ska, R&B, rocksteady, and reggae—long before genre crossover became the norm.
He worked with legendary producers like Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and Prince Buster. Tracks like On The Beach, Patricia, and Millie Girl helped define the early sounds of ska and reggae, while his soulful voice paved the way for generations of vocalists.
Gray played a pivotal role in the evolution of Jamaican music – one of the few artists to successfully bridge pre-independence mento and R&B with the rise of ska and rocksteady, and later the politically charged roots reggae of the 1970s. His influence also reached the UK’s growing reggae scene, where he was based for much of his later career.
Though he never achieved the commercial fame of some of his contemporaries, Gray’s contributions were undeniably foundational. He helped shape a sound that resonated far beyond the island’s borders, influencing artists from Bob Marley to The Specials.
Reflecting on his long career in a 2012 interview, Gray said: “Music was all I ever wanted to do. It’s the one thing that always gave me joy.”
He is survived by his family and an indelible legacy in Jamaican music history.
Words by Loc Ziesing.
