ANKH
RECORDS
Ankh Records was a Diy
Reggae label: Run by Delroy
Washington. It managed one single. It issued
singles in ANKH-0 numerical series. Distributed By Pinnacle Records.
Delroy Washington (Born 5 November 1952 Died 27 March 2020) was a
Jamaican-British reggae singer best known for his releases for Virgin Records in
the late 1970s. Born in Westmoreland, Jamaica, Washington moved with his family
to London in the early 1960s. His early experience in the music industry was as
a session musician and tour manager. As a member of the band Rebel he recorded
material for CBS Records which was not released. In 1973 he released an
independently produced single "Lonely Street" on the Count Shelly label. He
recorded backing vocals for The Wailers on the Catch a Fire album, after
befriending Bob Marley in the early 1970s, and he continued to provide backing
vocals for Wailers albums until the late 1970s. Washington wrote songs with
Marley and worked with him on making Marley's lyrics more suitable for European
listeners. He also provided backing vocals on the debut album from Aswad. He
continued to record as a solo artist and was one of the first reggae artists
signed by Virgin Records in the mid-1970s, his "Give All the Praise to Jah"
single became a success on the British reggae charts. He released two albums on
Virgin, I Sus in 1976 and Rasta in 1977. Both albums featured musicians such as
Al Anderson, Rico Rodriguez, and George Oban. After leaving Virgin he released a
handful of singles on different labels up to the early 1980s. He appeared on the
1984 Jah Shaka album Message From Africa, singing the opening track "Help One
Another". Both of his Virgin albums were reissued in the early 2000s. Washington
founded the Federation of Reggae Music, which worked with Brent Council to
install a blue plaque on the house in Neasden where the Wailers lived in the
early 1970s. Washington died in London on 27 March 2020, after a short
illness.
81
Delroy Washington
For Your
Love
ANKH
ANKH
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