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Born in what many have dubbed 'The Mecca of Jamaican music', Trench Town, Wilson attended the Boys' Town Primary School in the community, where he got his first taste of performing in front of large crowds.
Wilson is quoted as saying "My recordings I started when I was about 12, but I was little, so they put me on a Red Stripe box, and I sing my first song". That particular moment took place at Federal Records in 1962, as reported by The Gleaner.
Bursting onto the scene at age 13, Wilson's talent was undeniable from the get-go.
With tracks such as Emy Lou, I Shall Not Remove and Prince Pharaoh spinning as his first Ska hits, Wilson's bubbly enthusiasm within his vocal delivery was reminiscent of a young Frankie Lymon; skipping on the hypnotic beats of Ska while acting as Sir Clement "Coxsone" Dodd pawn against ex-worker and then rival Prince Buster.
As the sounds of Ska slowed down to embrace the Rocksteady era, Wilson's childhood fame was transitioned into a more tailored, rhythmic-driven vocalist with the transition proving fruitful as his version of The Tams' Dancing Mood not only placed him atop of varying charts but welcomed his growth and maturity within the musical landscape. With a number of cover songs and a few original pieces annexing to Wilson's catalog, his meteoric rise to superstardom was slow and steady but not as rapid as others whom Wilson thought contributed less to the advancement of Jamaicans' music.
Wilson is quoted as saying "My recordings I started when I was about 12, but I was little, so they put me on a Red Stripe box, and I sing my first song". That particular moment took place at Federal Records in 1962, as reported by The Gleaner.
Bursting onto the scene at age 13, Wilson's talent was undeniable from the get-go.
With tracks such as Emy Lou, I Shall Not Remove and Prince Pharaoh spinning as his first Ska hits, Wilson's bubbly enthusiasm within his vocal delivery was reminiscent of a young Frankie Lymon; skipping on the hypnotic beats of Ska while acting as Sir Clement "Coxsone" Dodd pawn against ex-worker and then rival Prince Buster.
As the sounds of Ska slowed down to embrace the Rocksteady era, Wilson's childhood fame was transitioned into a more tailored, rhythmic-driven vocalist with the transition proving fruitful as his version of The Tams' Dancing Mood not only placed him atop of varying charts but welcomed his growth and maturity within the musical landscape. With a number of cover songs and a few original pieces annexing to Wilson's catalog, his meteoric rise to superstardom was slow and steady but not as rapid as others whom Wilson thought contributed less to the advancement of Jamaicans' music.
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