National Library of Jamaica

GARNETT SILK (1970 - 1994)

Born in 1970, in Manchester, Garnett Smith, aka Garnett Silk emerged as one of the most promising singer/songwriters in the Jamaican music scene. He began his involvement in music as a DJ with the name Little Bimbo at the age of twelve. At age seventeen, he made his first recording Problem Everywhere for Delroy “Callo” Collins in 1987. Before signing a two year deal with producers Steely & Cleevie, Silk had sessions with King Tubby, King Jammy and Sugar Minott. His deal with the duo proved unproductive and Silk moved to Roof International Studio in Ocho Rios where he had much better success with hits such as I Can See Clearly Now (duet with dub poet Yasus Afari) and Seven Spanish Angels.  In 1992, he released his debut album Its Growing which was immediately praised by both critics and the mass audience. In 1994 after having signed a distribution deal with Atlantic records, Silk had begun work on his second album with Tuff Gong Records, when he died trying to save his mother from a fire.

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                                                                                                                                                            Introduction

He died in a car accident on March 23, 1980.