Johnny Ringo 1961-2005

Johnny Ringo R.I.P. Sad news reaches us via Rootsman on the B&F board. Apparently veteran deejay Johnny Ringo passed away earlier today. Readers of this blog will be familiar with his work through the Lyric Maker mix, where his tracks “Dedicated to Jah”, “New Yorker” and “Nice and Easy” battled it out with some Asher Senator tunes on the same riddims. The album from which these were taken was recorded whilst Ringo was in the UK in 1983 with Gemini Sound. Ringo is probably also quite well known for his classic “Working Class”, which appeared on the Pressure Sounds’ Hitbound Selection: When The Dances Were Changing compilation of early Channel One dancehall productions. There’s something very wrong with a world in which talents like Ringo not only die early, but die without their contributions to the world being fully recognised. All we can do is offer our thanks in retrospect and think good thoughts when the records are played – and played they will be…