KIDDUS I

b. Frank Dowding, St. Mary, Jamaica, West Indies. Kiddus I came from a middle class background and initially adopted a hippie lifestyle before converting to Rastafari. At the start of the 70s he opened an ital food store that attracted a number of musicians who were recording in and around Kingston, including Jacob Miller, Zap Pow, Third World and Gregory Isaacs. It was Isaacs who encouraged Kiddus I to pursue a career in music, although the singer had already recorded a session with Joel Gibson in the early 70s. Kiddus I was later recruited as a vocalist in Ras Michael And The Sons Of Negus. With the group he performed on the Jamaican hit ‘Non A Jah Jah Children’, that featured on 1975’s Rastafari produced by Tommy Cowan. In 1976, Kiddus I was recruited to arrange interviews with a number of Jamaican key performers for Reggae Bloodlines, an early publication that helped introduce their music to the American mainstream. The following year, he enjoyed a modicum of success with ‘Graduation In Zion’. The song was later featured in the movie Rockers and on the soundtrack album. His other releases include ‘Security In The Streets’ and ‘Cry Wolf’. In 1999, Kiddus I appeared alongside Jamaica’s heavy metal king Gibby at Kingston Muzik Night, a celebration of the diverse sounds of Jamaica promoted by the Reggae Sunsplash organisers, Synergy.