Mikey General

b. Michael Taylor, 9 October 1963, London, England. Taylor spent his formative years commuting between London and Jamaica. Inspired by the established singers on the island, including Dennis Brown and Barrington Levy, he embarked on his own singing career. His vocal range was initially in the high tenor dancehall -style favoured by Pinchers, Sanchez and Pliers. He began his recording career during the mid-80s in the UK, recording with Studio One producer Jackie Mittoo. The recordings surfaced on Mikey’s own MGR label through Omega, and other notable recordings followed, including ‘Kuff N Dem’, ‘A Sound Gonna Die Tonight’, and the allegorical ‘Cowboy Life’. In combination, he found success with Richie Davis (‘Back To Life’ and ‘Suzy Wong’), while he joined Skipper Ranking for the anti-cocaine anthem, ‘Don’t Nose It Up’. He accepted a starring role in the television play We The Raggamuffin, for which he also provided the theme tune. In 1992, Mikey returned to Jamaica, where he met Luciano during a recording session - the association led to his becoming part of the Firehouse Crew alongside DJ Sizzla and saxophonist Dean Fraser. In 1997, the Firehouse Crew shared top billing with Buju Banton and Bunny Wailer at the Essential Roots Day festival, and by this time, Mikey’s recording career was enjoying a renaissance. Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell produced his Firehouse debut, Stronger Rastaman, while his combination with Sizzla, ‘Babylon A Listen/Unseen Blessings’, became a dancehall anthem.