Mikey General
Michael Taylor, born on 9 October 1963 in England, is a Jamaican reggae singer, producer, songwriter, and artist. At the age of 2, his family moved back to Jamaica where he attended school and had a keen interest in singing in the school choir. He was becoming well-known in his community and his teachers and peers began encouraging him as a teenager to take up music professionally. He recorded his debut single, produced by Rudie Silence, in 1980 titled “Roots Me Roots.” The project was such a huge success it boosted his confidence to do more with his talent. Upon returning to England in 1982, he did vocals for some recording companies like Saxon, and that led to his 1st tour with Maxi Priest, Smiley Culture, and Papa Levi. In 1985, he was awarded Performer Of The Year because of the hit “Dancehall Vibes.” Michael met Luciano and they built a good friendship that made them part of Phillip Burrell’s Xterminator Crew and they toured Europe and the US together. British Jetstar Label, released 2 albums for Mikey, namely, I am a Rastaman and Sinners. During a mid-90s tour, Mikey did the opening act for both Sizzla and Luciano. In 1998, Mikey and Luciano started their own labels so they would work as a team, Jah Messenjah Productions, and Qabala First Music. They produced a good number of albums together including Spiritual Revolution, Exalt Jah, just to mention a few. They had many popular hits like “He That Keepeth Israel,” from the album Red Green & Gold, which VP Records had distributed and it was received well into the 2000s. Some of Mikey’s music videos include “What Would You Do,” released in 2006, “Sinners” in 2010, “African Story,” done in 2013, and “Back Against The Wall” released in 2017. Since 2018, Mikey and Luciano have been working on an album that we are yet to hear when it will be released. Hopefully this year 2020, Mikey’s fans will be dancing to some new tunes.