Josey Wales sounds like the smoke-filled air of a Kingston sound system session in 1983. His voice is a distinctive, sand-papered baritone that commands attention without ever needing to shout. It is the sound of the 'rub-a-dub' era, where the basslines were thick and the DJs had to be both rhythmic masters and compelling storytellers to keep the crowd moving.
What truly sets 'The Outlaw' apart is his refusal to follow the 'slackness' trend of his peers. While others leaned into lewdness, Wales maintained a strictly conscious, Rastafarian perspective. This creates a fascinating tension: the music is rugged, tough, and built for the dancehall, but the message is one of spiritual discipline and social awareness. His delivery is half-spoken and half-sung, a rhythmic 'chatting' that feels like a conversation with a wise, slightly dangerous uncle.
To understand his impact, start with his early 80s work on the Volcano label. These tracks represent the peak of his collaboration with producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes, featuring some of the most iconic riddims in reggae history. It is the perfect entry point for anyone who wants to hear how dancehall transitioned from roots reggae into something more aggressive yet remained deeply soulful.
Josey Wales (born Joseph Winston Sterling, 9 October 1958) is a Jamaican dancehall singer. He has been called, along with Brigadier Jerry, Yellowman and sound system partner Charlie Chaplin, one of the best Jamaican dancehall deejays of the 1980s. Wales is named after the 1976 Western movie character from The Outlaw Josey Wales, played by Clint Eastwood, and subsequently nicknamed "The Outlaw". His career began in 1977, first starting as a deejay on the Roots Unlimited sound-system where he often sparred with Burro Banton, and later performing over U-Roy-owned King Sturgav sound system. He gained even more popularity in the early 1980s performing over Henry "Junjo" Lawes's Volcano sound system, and recording singles such as "Bobo Dread" and "Leggo Mi Hand" (which peaked at number four on the Jamaican singles chart) for Lawes' label of the same name, as well as later hits for George Phang's Power House label, most noticeably "Undercover Lover". He was shot and robbed in a Kingston bar in 1997, an incident that he dealt with in the country and western song "Bushwacked". He survived the robbery, and after his discharge from a hospital, he went to the United States and bought an ambulance to donate for the Kingston Public Hospital. He appeared in Shaggy's "Bad Man Don't Cry" video, and by 2014 had begun recording new material. In October 2017, he was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government.
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