Published: Tuesday | February 10, 2009
Johnny Nash
BRITISH MEDIA created a buzz last week when it reported that troubled singer Amy Winehouse was considering coming to Jamaica to record her third album.
Winehouse, a five-time Grammy Award winner, is known for her retro soul sound and beehive hairstyle. She has stated her love for Jamaican music and prior to her Grammy success last year, hinted at visiting the country to record.
The 25 year-old Winehouse has become a tabloid darling, largely due to her hard partying and heroin addiction. She spent much of 2008 chilling in the Eastern Caribbean island of St Lucia, and getting away from the glare of London's paparazzi.
Big names
Winehouse is the latest in a long line of celebrities linked to Jamaica. Here are some of the big names who lived or have worked in the country.
Ian Fleming: The creator of super-sleuth [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]James [COLOR=orange! important]Bond[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] left cold Britain for his getaway at Firefly in Oracabessa, St Mary whenever the writing bug bit him. He entertained big names there including British playwright/humourist Noel Coward.
Errol Flynn: Australian-born Flynn lived in Port Antonio for over a decade. According to popular lore, the star of films like The Adventures of [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Robin [COLOR=orange! important]Hood[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] and Captain Blood, discovered the seaside town when his boat washed ashore there during a storm in 1948. He and his wife Patrice Wymore got involved in Port Antonio's activities, including the annual marlin tournament. She still lives there on the couple's farm.
Johnny Nash: The Texas-born singer and his [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]manager[/COLOR][/COLOR] Danny Sims moved to Jamaica during the early 1960s, working with local talent such as The Wailers and [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Byron [COLOR=orange! important]Lee[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] and The Dragonaires. They lived in Russell Heights, St Andrew; Nash recorded several [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Bob [COLOR=orange! important]Marley[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] songs including Stir it Up and Guava Jelly and had a massive hit with the reggae-styled number, I Can See Clearly Now.
Roberta Flack: North Carolina-born Flack was a regular visitor to Jamaica in the early 1970s, staying in Stony Hill, St Andrew and hanging out with Bob Marley and his crew. She cut several reggae-based songs during that period.
Calvin Lockhart: The Bahamas-born actor was a big name in black films in the 1970s when he split his time between Los Angeles and St Mary. Lockhart was popular with Jamaican movie-goers through his appearances in the Bill Cosby/Sidney Poitier comedies Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again. He also starred in the Jamaican flop, Marijuana Affair.
Larry Graham: Best known to Jamaicans as the man who sang the hit song, One In a Million You, Graham was a big name in the United States as creator of the slap bass sound while he was a member of Sly Stone's band. For several years, Graham lived quietly in Montego Bay.
Johnny Cash: The American country music legend called Montego Bay home for years. He, his wife June and their family moved to the tourist area in the early 1970s and lived at Cinnamon Hill, next to the historic Rose Hall estate.
Johnny Cash
Errol Flynn
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