Shaggy: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Videos
• Photos
• Groups/Boards
• Fan Sites

• Bounty Killer
• Asher D & Daddy Freddy
• Apache Indian
• Shabba Ranks
• Patra
• Hepcat
• Snow

• Maxi Priest
• Barrington Levy
• Sly & Robbie
• Pato Banton
• Junior Reid
• Eek-A-Mouse
• Josey Wales

• T.O.K.
• Lecca
• Culcha Candela
• Tito el Bambino
• Sean Paul
• Big Boy
• Easy Star All-Stars

• Booker T. Jones
• Bruce Brewster
• Bob Marley
• Orville Burrell
• John Folkes
• Gary Benson
• King Floyd III

Birth Name:

Orville Richard Burrell

Born:

Oct 22, 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica

Genres:

Reggae Music, Dancehall, Ragga

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Medium

Cultural Impact

Medium

Popularity

Medium

Ratings Guide

Shaggy is a good example of how a single song can quickly take a relatively unknown performer straight to the top. For him, the song was a cover of the mid-'60s early reggae smash "Oh Carolina" (originally done by the Folkes Brothers for Prince Buster). Making full use of the production expertise of New York recording wizard Sting Int'l, and some excellent back-up musicians, including Latino percussionist Jimmy Delgado, and samples from the original recording and an underlying theme taken from "Peter Gunn," Shaggy added his own special "dog-a-muffin" (his name for his style) touch to the tune and found himself with a runaway international hit that was particularly popular in Britain, where his song received airplay on Radio One (reggae songs almost never get airplay there) and shared the number one spot with a Michael Jackson tune in 1993. Shaggy himself, with his genuine affability, politeness and non threatening charisma, made an excellent impression on the British and performed four weeks in a row on the venerable Top of the Pops television show. Born Orville Richard Burrell in Jamaica, Shaggy was raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn. As a young man, Shaggy had his first dancehall success with the song "Big Up." He was in the army, stationed at Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina when he recorded "Oh Carolina" in a small New York recording studio, dressed in uniform. Shortly thereafter, Robert Livingston became his manager and sent the recording to England where the record was handled by Greensleeves. He was sent to Kuwait where he stayed during the Desert Storm campaign. Though he used the original tune, Shaggy updated the song and added his own lyrics. Following his discharge, he returned to New York. Following the success of "Carolina," Robert Livingstone took over Shaggy's management and sent him to England for a while. After "Oh Carolina" sold 600,000 in England, Shaggy signed to Virgin Records for a record-braking 1.2 million British pounds, and they launched a successful promotion of the song in Sweden, Holland and Germany. They eventually released the song in North America, where it also made a strong showing, particularly in Canada. While many artists would be overwhelmed by such sudden success, Shaggy remained down to earth. He prides himself on staying in touch with his fans back in Flatbush. One thing Shaggy avoids is the temptation to make even more money by recording subsequent songs that sound just like "Oh Carolina." Musical diversity is his thing and Shaggy's dog-a-muffin sound incorporates elements of jazz and raggamuffin. He admires a wide variety of artists ranging from Sammy Davis, Jr. to Josie Wales to Tiger. His album roster includes 1993's Pure Pleasure, 1994's Original Doberman and 1997 Midnite Lover. Hot Shot followed three years later, featuring the massive hits "Freaky Girl" and "Angel" and continuing his streak of club and radio hits. 2002 witnessed two new albums, a best-of collection (Mr. Lover Lover) and an album of original tracks, Lucky Day.

- Sandra Brennan, All Music Guide