Milton Henry passed away at age 72

US-based Jamaican-born singer, songwiter, guitarist, and arranger Milton Henry passed away on Saturday December 3, 2022. The reggae veteran died from stage 4 long cancer at the age of 72. Our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. Rest in power, Milton!

US-based Jamaican-born singer, guitarist, and arranger Milton Henry passed through various groups during the sixties before going solo. In 1966, he joined Keith Blake aka Prince Alla and Roy Palmer to rehearse as The Leaders. When the trio recorded Hope Some Day for Joe Gibbs in 1968, Milton Henry was 18 years old. After two other recordings for Gibbs, he moved on and got involved in a variety of projects before he went to Lee Perry to try his luck has a solo artist. For the eccentric producer he recorded his debut single No Bread And Butter which was mis-credited to Milton Morris. He furthermore recorded a handful of classic sides for Perry like his version of The Impressions’ Gypsy Woman or his first big hit This World and Follow Fashion (under the artist name King Medious) over the Upsetter’s Fever riddim.

In 1979, Milton Henry followed his parents who had relocated to the US and there he initially showed little interest in working as a singer. His role as a vinyl salesman travelling between New York and Jamaica made him link him up with Lloyd “Bullwackie” Barnes. Soon after, he was fully involved in the day-to-day business of the Wackie’s operation, supervising sales and promotion, making deliveries, even holding spare keys to the studio for whenever Bullwackie himself was away. His talents inevitably led him to voicing tunes and in 1985 his overdue LP Who Do You Think I Am? finally saw the light of day. This album hinted heavily at the past musical accomplishments of its ‘mystery hero’. Who Do You Think I Am? was released first in London during the first months of Wackies Dean Street office, in north Soho. The track No Dreams is the true story of Milton sleeping in the attic above the studio when the rough drum and bass track came onto the desk, waking him and pulling him to the mic. Another track, Them A Devil, aimed at certain producers passing off the singer’s property as their own while Good Old Days was written for a poor Junior Byles, remembering times shared. Two years later, his debut LP was followed by Babylon Loot which was aimed at the Japanese reggae market.

It then lasted more than 25 years, before he released the showcase album Branches And Leaves, the result of a collaboration between the New York-based artist and Roberto Sánchez. The Spanish producer began working with him in 2013, conjuring suitably organic roots riddims at his A-Lone Ark Muzik studio, which Henry then voiced at Bullwackie’s current base in New York.