Vivian Jones

Black Star Presents

Born in Jamaica, Vivian Jones moved to England at the age of 10. He was in several bands including The Spartans, The Doctor Birds, the Mighty Vibes and the Pieces.

He was known as ‘The Ghost’ because no matter how music changed over the seasons, Jones always seemed to have a song climbing the charts. A prolific songwriter and producer, Jones began his career as a solo artist in 1980 and, that same year, put out ‘Good Morning’ (a remix recording by the Mighty Vibes) which quickly climbed to the top of the UK reggae charts. His debut album, Bank Robbery, came out in 1984 and in 1987 he released Jah Works in collaboration with Jah Shaka.

During the 1990’s he set up his own Imperial House label and released several albums, at the same time collaborating on works with other artists. In 1991 he was named ‘Best Male Artist’ in the British Reggae Industry Awards. In 2007 he released the album 50th, featuring old rhythms from producers such as Bunny Lee, to celebrate his 50th birthday. One Way Exclusive was released in 2009, and in 2013 Lovers Rocking followed.

In 2009 Jones was invited to Holland by the Black Star Foundation where he toured, backed by the Dutch group Poor Man Friend. In 2011 he returned to Holland to play at the Future Reggae Ruigoord Festival with Dutch reggae band, Rebel Jam. Vivian played at Black Star Foundation’s Tenth Anniversary at the Melkweg in Amsterdam in 2013. Continuing their collaboration, Black Star Presents Vivian Jones was released in December 2014.