I-Roy

Roy Reid, better known to reggae fans as I Roy, was one of the most influential DJ's/toasters to come out of Jamaica in the 1970s. He was influenced in turn by U Roy, but ultimately became just as popular. Throughout the '70s, he worked with Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, Gussie Clarke, all the major Jamaican producers of the day. I Roy signed to Virgin Records in the mid-'70s and gained greater visibility overseas, his influence spreading to the UK and elsewhere. He died of a heart attack in 1999, with a body of seminal work behind him.