Josey Wales

Born Joseph Winston Sterling in St. Mary, Jamaica, Josey Wales emerged in the sound‑system circuit from the late 1970s, first with Roots Unlimited, then on King Sturgav and especially Volcano, where his deejay style took shape. Part of the Jamaican dancehall of the 1980s, Josey Wales developed a fluid phrasing, clear diction and a toasting style rooted in reggae, with a marked taste for spare rhythms, vocal exchanges and street‑focused lyrics. His trajectory continued through productions by Henry “Junjo” Lawes and later George Phang for the Power House label, which boosted his visibility on the dancehall scene. His discography includes Outlaw (1983), No Way No Better Than Yard (1984), Two Giants Clash with Yellowman (1984), Undercover Lover (1985), Ha Fi Say So (1986) and Code of Conduct (1991). Josey Wales also recorded with Charlie Chaplin on Kings of the Dancehall in 1994, extending the longstanding link between the sound‑system stage and the studio. A lasting figure in Jamaican deejay culture, Josey Wales received the Order of Distinction in Jamaica in 2017.