The original rapper

For some it was a revelation. For others it was an annoyance. The act of talking, shouting and rhyming over hit songs was a trick used by Jamaican deejays of the late '60s to not only raise the dance floor's temperature, but to out-maneuver their competition in a quest to be king of the turntables. Some deejays simply made noise while others elevated the act to an art form all its own. Daddy U-Roy, born Ewart Beckfort, was one of those mavericks. With a freewheeling, at times giddy, demeanor, U-Roy would yelp, laugh and make up stories based on the vocal track of the source material he was spinning. Called toasting, a direct predecessor of modern rap, U-Roy's words provided an entertaining, thought-provoking counterpoint and commentary to the song's lyrics. His voice would slip, slide and leap out between verses, adding new flavor to well-worn ska and rock-steady classics of the day.

But what made U-Roy unique, besides his conscious and comedic style, was what came next. Through his friendship with King Tubby, one of the island's top record producers, U-Roy came to the attention of Duke Reid. It was Duke Reid's record label, Treasure Isle Records, that had released many of the hit singles U-Roy was using as his source material. Sensing an opportunity, Reid recorded U-Roy's antics and pressed new singles in 1969. The songs, including his classic version of Anton Ellis' "Girl I've Got a Date" -- renamed "Wake the Town" -- ignited Jamaica's dancehalls. U-Roy would earn his place in reggae history as the first deejay who successfully brought the deejay toasting style to the record business.

Radio station programmers, however, were unimpressed initially. U-Roy's singles were viewed as nothing more than a cheap gimmick to sell records by repackaging old hits with new lyrics. But the tide of public opinion quickly shifted his way, and U-Roy's singles were accepted as a natural extension of the original material. By 1970, U-Roy had three singles, "Wake the Town," "This Station Rules the Nation" and "Wear You to the Ball," in the top three positions on the Jamaican radio charts.

Enough singles were recorded to release his first LP, Version Galore, also on Treasure Isle, which would inspire legions of young, toasting deejays, including I-Roy, Big Youth and the bombastic Dennis Alcapone. Hit songs by the Wailers, the Diamonds, the Gladiators and many others received the U-Roy treatment: dancing, joking and telling personal stories around the pre-recorded rhythms.

As quickly as he rose to the top however, U-Roy fell out of public favor. A newer, slower form of the rock steady sound, known as reggae, consumed popular tastes (in addition to the rough and tough 'rude boy' scene). Toasting was still alive, but this time it was in the hands of a younger generation of artists.

After a handful of years away from the biz, U-Roy returned with a vengeance in the late '70s with what some believe is his greatest achievement to date, the album Dread Ina Babylon. Featuring the hit single (and eventual signature song) "Chalice in the Palace" -- a reworked version of the Mighty Diamonds' "Queen Majesty" -- it was U-Roy's first release for Virgin Records and his first widely available LP outside Jamaica. Numerous platinum-selling albums would follow.

But after successful tours of Africa, the U.S. and Europe, U-Roy once again disappeared into the shadows during most of the 1980s. Ironically, it was a crucial time period for the sounds he helped invent -- dancehall reggae and its U.S. outgrowth, rap -- as they exploded in popularity around the world.

Today, three decades have passed since "Wake the Town" changed not only the face of Jamaican music but of popular music everywhere. In the '90s, a successful series of reissue albums from his enormous back catalog helped further sustain his unmistakable voice, comedic gesturing and conscious lyrics for new generations. Performing once again, U-Roy is at the controls of his sound system -- performing in dancehalls throughout Jamaica and bringing his toasts overseas to wake this town as well.

U-Roy performs at Planet Q, 4525 Glenwood Road, Sat., Aug. 19 at 11 p.m. For more information, call 770-413-1634.