Michael Prophet

Michael George Haynes (3 March 1957 – 16 December 2017), known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Michael, who died of cancer aged 60, was one of Jamaica’s most popular roots reggae singers and had several prominent hits during his 40-year career. Prophet’s distinctive voice – he had a wide vocal range with an unusual "crying" tenor style – and the success of songs such as Gunman (1981) meant that his energetic live performances were in high demand on the international festival circuit. He was still singing live – and with gusto – in the last months of his life, Michael performed his final shows in September and October of 2017: Mekudeshet Fesitval, Jerusalem (14 September), Dub Club @Echoplex, LA (4 October), Music Box, San Diego (6th Octotober). He was born Michael George Haynes in Kingston, Jamaica, on 3 March 1957, the only child of Caroline Smith, a housewife, and Lloyd Haynes, a painter and decorator who worked for the beverage company Desnoes & Geddes (Lloyd fathered 13 other children). Educated at Greenwich Farm High School, Kingston, he lived nearby with his paternal grandmother Gladys, a market trader. The impoverished Greenwich Farm district had long been a hotbed of musical activity, and during the late 1970s Michael Haynes began singing on local sound systems. In 1978 he recorded his first singles, The Woman I Love, Super Star and True Born African, but they made little impact. He then formed a vocal trio with friends from the neighbourhood, but when they auditioned for the visionary producer Vivian “Yabby You” Jackson, Jackson convinced him to ditch the other vocalists, renamed him Michael Prophet and shifted the focus of his lyrics to Rastafari philosophy and the harshness of ghetto life. Prophet’s first release with Jackson, a remake of The Heptones Fight It To The Top, was a strong seller, as were the originals Praise You Jah Jah and Love and Unity. Their popularity led to an acclaimed debut album, Serious Reasoning, released beyond Jamaica by Island Records in 1979. In 1980 Prophet joined forces with the rising ghetto producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes and released the autobiographical Gunman, about an armed robbery that took place at the singer’s home. A reggae adaptation of Here Comes the Bride was also a big hit.