Joseph hill culture biography sample

Joseph Hill And Culture:
An Inimitable Career, Growing Ever Stronger

By Seth Nelson & Daniel Nelson (August )

Culture's success has never depended on copying the latest sound to merge with their own, and they have never relied on falling into the trendiest fashion. Culture's dynamic sound and their fans' continued dedication to the group is aided by the simple fact that they continue to make great reggae without any apologies. Over the years Culture has experimented with varying sound formations, including the addition and absence of harmony singing, horns and acoustic sounds. Whatever the sound though, the outcome is always the same: music that reaches straight to the soul and not only powers the feet to dancing, but creates the impulse to get up and make lasting change within the world.

Culture's initial impact on the world came about with the formation of the Soul Defenders, one of the finest backing groups to ever come out of Jamaica. The Soul Defenders were comprised of several talented musicians from the Linstead, Jamaica area and formed around Joseph Hill, or �Culture' as he was known, served as the band's sometime lead vocalist, frequent backing vo

Joseph Hill (January 22, – August 19, ) was the lead singer and songwriter for the roots reggae group Culture whose other members were Kenneth Dayes and Hill's cousin Albert Walker, most famous for their hit "Two Sevens Clash", but also well known for their "International Herb" single. Hill recorded twenty-two albums.

Joseph Hill was a devoted worshipper of His Majesty Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as a member of the Rastafari movement. Indeed, Hill's honorific/nickname, "Keeper of Zion Gate" reflects his vaunted position as one of reggae's and Rastafari's greatest voices.

Hill died while the group was in the middle of a European tour after being taken ill suddenly and he died the next morning. Hill's son Kenyatta has been performing concerts with Culture, standing in on lead vocals as a tribute to his father. Kenyatta toured extensively with his father for the last 11 years and has stated, "Since he is no longer around to do the work himself, I feel it is my duty to carry on the work. I know that he was preparing me for this."

Hill had received a number of honours; an induction into the Jamaican Reggae Walk of Fame and a Independence Award presented by the Prime Minister of Jamaica. In the group continued to draw good reviews, especially for their performance at 'Bob Marley 61st Birthday Celebration' in Ghana.

During the seventies the group had a string of highly successful singles for producers Joe Gibbs and Sonia Pottinger including the song 'Two Sevens Clash' which made its mark on both Jamaica and the United Kingdom. It was named by Rolling Stone magazine in as one of the '50 Coolest Records' - the only single artist reggae album to make the list. The group also had a hit with 'Stop Fussing and Fighting', a song that addressed the chaotic political climate of the late s and the attempt on Bob Marley's life.

Joseph Hill and Culture developed a rep

Jamaican singer and songwriter

Musical artist

Joseph Hill (22 January – 19 August ) was the lead singer and songwriter for the roots reggae group Culture, most famous for their hit "Two Sevens Clash", but also well known for their "International Herb" single. Hill recorded twenty-two albums.

Biography

Early life and career

Joseph Hill was born in in Linstead, a town in Saint Catherine Parish in the southeast of Jamaica. He was raised in a Christian family and began singing in church at the age of six. Within two years he was making his own musical instruments. After leaving home he came into contact with Rastafarians and adopted the faith.

He began his career in the late s as a percussionist, recording with the Studio One house band the Soul Defenders. He also worked as a sound system deejay, and began performing as a backing vocalist, leading to his singles "Behold the Land" and "Take Me Girl" in the early s. In the early 70s Hill performed with two groups that included future reggae star Glen Washington: C35 Incorporated and Stepping Stone. He performed regularly on the hotel circuit, but had his greatest success with the group Culture.

Culture

Main article: Culture (band)

Hill formed Culture in , and had early success with the prophetic "Two Sevens Clash", predicting apocalypse on 7 July The record was hugely popular on the emerging punk rock scene in England, heavily influencing The Clash, John Lydon and Public Image.

During the s the group had a string of highly successful singles for producers Joe Gibbs and Sonia

There are at least two artists that have used this name:
1. A roots reggae band from Jamaica
2. A straight edge metalcore band from Florida, US

1. Culture was a Jamaican roots reggae group founded in Originally they were known as the African Disciples.

The members of the trio were Joseph Hill (lead vocals), Albert Walker (backing vocals) and Kenneth Dayes (backing vocals).

Shortly after Culture came together, they began working with the "Mighty Two" – producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol Thompson. While at Gibbs’ studio, they recorded a series of powerful singles, many of which ended up on their debut album ‘Two Sevens Clash’. After their success with Gibbs, the group went on to make a string of albums for producer Sonia Pottinger. Culture began working with some of the premier musicians of the day including Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar, Ansel Collins, Cedric Brooks and the ever-present percussionist Sticky. Virgin Records picked up the albums, and that added distribution enabled Culture to gain an even larger following outside of Jamaica.

Critically considered one of the most authentic traditional reggae acts, at the time of the first Rolling Stone Record Guide publication, they were the only band of any genre whose every recording received a five-star review (of bands with more than one recording in the guide).

In the three singers went their own ways. Hill carried on using the Culture name, and recorded the Lion Rock album, which was released in the United States by Heartbeat Records. For their part, Walker and Dayes recorded a handful of songs on their own – a few of which turned up on an album titled Roots & Culture. In the original line-up reformed to record two highly regarded albums – Culture in Culture and Culture at Work. These releases marked the beginning of a very busy period for the group, including annual albums and countless tours. The U.S. label Shanachie released a steady stream of new and old Culture albums up to Wings O