Reggae legend Jimmy Riley passes away

Reggae legend Jimmy Riley passed away at midnight ET, surrounded by family, after a long and brave battle with cancer. an indelible contributor to Jamaica's legendary 60’s era of music, and an essential part of Jamaica’s legacy of legendary vocalists, and sweet harmonies as a member of both The Uniques and The Techniques. our condolences to his loving family, especially Jimmy’s son, brilliant reggae singer Tarrus Riley- who brought his dad on stage with him for his final public performance last year in New York City’s Central Park- while he was on the 'Catch a Fire Tour' organized by The Marley family. We will always miss Jimmy’s voice, his smile and genuine warmth. rest peacefully, Jimmy Riley via SirusFm TheJoint. Martin James Ziggy Norman Riley also known as Jimmy Riley was born in Jonestown, Kingston, Jamaica on 22 May 1954, Riley grew up in the city's Waterhouse district and attended Kingston Senior School along with Slim Smith. When Smith had success in The Techniques, Riley hung around with the group hoping to join, but was limited to carrying things for them and helping out with harmonies. He decided to form his own group, The Sensations, along with Cornell Campbell, Buster Riley (brother of The Techniques' Winston Riley), and Aaron "Dego" Davis. The Sensations had a successful audition for producer Arthur "Duke" Reid, and the group had mid-1960s success with "Everyday is Just a Holiday" and "Those Guys". On leaving the group in 1967, Riley joined Smith and Lloyd Charmers in the re-formed Uniques, having huge success with songs such as "Watch This Sound" and "My Conversation".RIP