Niney the Observer

Yours truly and Nic The Graduate hold down after-show selections representing Simmer Down Sound.

Producer Niney the Observer was among the chief architects behind the classic reggae sound of the 1970s. Born Winston Holness in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 1951, he acquired the Niney moniker when he lost a thumb in a workshop mishap; he entered the music industry during the late ’60s as a protégé of producer Bunny Lee, then working for Joe Gibbs as chief sound engineer replacing his good friend Lee “Scratch” Perry. Inspired by Perry’s nickname of “The Upsetter”, Holness adopted “The Observer”, using the name for his new Observer label, and the name of his house band, The Observers (actually the Soul Syndicate). Upon establishing the label, Niney’s first hit was the 1970 Dennis Alcapone single “Mr. Brown”; later that year he unleashed the seminal “Blood and Fire,” which sold some 30,000 copies in Jamaica alone. In the early 1970s, Holness became one of Jamaica’s most sought-after producers, with the likes of Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson, The Heptones, Johnny Clarke, Slim Smith, Jacob Miller, Junior Delgado, and Freddie McGregor all using his services. He also continued to record himself, and on collaborations with Dennis Alcapone, Max Romeo, and Lee Perry. By the mid-1970s, he was also working with Ken Boothe, Junior Byles, Gregory Isaacs, Junior Delgado, Delroy Wilson, Horace Andy, I-Roy, and Dillinger. Niney’s greatest success came in partnership with singer Dennis Brown, with whom he first teamed in 1973; in the months to follow, their collaboration yielded a series of innovative smashes, among them “Westbound Train,” “I Am the Conqueror,” “Cassandra,” and “No More Will I Roam.” Niney left the music business during the late ’70s, finally resurfacing in Paris around 1982; by the middle of the decade, he had returned to Kingston to briefly work at Channel One studios. In this capacity, he was one of the first to work with Beenie Man, and also produced Third World and Sugar Minott. He returned to active musical duty in 1988, producing records for Andrew Tosh and Frankie Paul; projects with Little John, Yami Bolo, Junior Byles, and Baby Wayne maintained his visibility during the decade to follow. In the 90s he began an association with Heartbeat Records, working on reissues of much of his back catalog, as well as new recordings. In the 2000s extensive anthologies on Trojan, Blood & Fire and VP Recordings kept his legacy alive; in 2015 he recorded the single “Children” with Jimmy Cliff, Sly and Robbie, and Errol “Flabba” Holt, to raise funds for Cliff’s foundation and a school for autistic children. Later that same year he was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government. Niney’s first ever Chicago appearance will be backed by Akasha, the driving force behind the monthly Simmer Down Sound night. Akasha has backed many Jamaican legends in the past few years, including Ranking Joe, Keith & Tex, Carlton Livingston, and Johnny Osbourne. King Tony of Simmer Down Sound and Jamaican Oldies DJs select all night long.