REGGAE ICON NINEY THE OBSERVER RETURNS WITH LANDMARK ALBUM
Winston “Niney The Observer” Holness has never stopped moving. At 80, the legendary Jamaican producer and artist steps forward with Niney The Observer, a self-titled album that marks his first full-length project in over two decades. Out now via Observer Music and VPAL Music, the record affirms his role as both innovator and keeper of reggae’s roots.
The 14-track set brings together a striking mix of originals and reinterpretations. Tracks like Thank You for Coming and Working for Jah appear with reinterpretations. These include Ken Boothe’s Silver Words and Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds.
Niney stretches beyond Jamaica too, reshaping The Temptations’ Ain’t Too Proud to Beg and Eric “Monty” Morris’s Say What You’re Saying.
“This album is a message and a mission, and I did it my way,” Niney explains. The sessions were recorded at his Observer Soundbox on Lyndhurst Road in Kingston.
THIS ALBUM IS A MESSAGE AND A MISSION, AND I DID IT MY WAY
The lineup includes Sly Dunbar, Dean Fraser, Robbie Lyn, Flabba Holt, Franklyn “Bubbler” Waugh, and the late Dalton Browne. Backing vocals also come from Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt and Sandy Stewart, adding depth to his vision.
Niney’s career began in the 1960s with productions for Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs and Max Romeo, but his landmark Blood & Fire cemented his reputation. Honoured with Jamaica’s Order of Distinction in 2015, he now returns as both producer and singer. Today, the same fire that fueled his early works still shapes reggae’s foundations.
ABOUT NINEY THE OBSERVER
Winston “Niney The Observer” Holness emerged from Kingston’s restless studios in the late 1960s, shaping reggae’s pulse with an ear for disruption. After engineering at KG Records, he worked with Bunny Lee, then replaced Lee “Scratch” Perry at Joe Gibbs’ studio, where he produced Mr Brown and guided Dennis Brown’s rise.
His own Blood & Fire became a defining riddim, sparking the Observer label and a career that earned him Jamaica’s Order of Distinction.
