Burro Banton
Artist. Reggae, dancehall
- Active
- 1976-present
- Sunrise
- December 27, 1956, Kingston, Jamaica
- Also known as
- The Original Banton, Original Don
Donovan Spalding, known as Burro Banton, is credited with the deep, gruff voice that inspired Buju Banton, who took the second half of his name from him, as well as Bounty Killer and Elephant Man.
He started in 1976 at a talent contest at Skateland, taking his early cues from Ranking Joe, Dillinger, and Trinity. Around 1978 he was deejaying for the Black Hoover sound system and then for Roots Unlimited alongside Josey Wales. He recorded his first album, Buro, for Henry "Junjo" Lawes in 1983, and his reputation rose sharply after his lyrics helped Killamanjaro defeat Lawes's own Volcano sound in a much-discussed 1984 clash. Through the middle of the decade he worked for Volcano, Stereo Mars, and Killamanjaro, often alongside Super Cat and Nicodemus. The Rough Guide counts him among the deejays with big dancehall reputations who needed an audience and so impressed less on vinyl.
"Praise Up Jah Jah" (1987) became a fixture on British sound systems, particularly Jah Shaka's. He first recorded "Boom Wah Dis" for Super Cat's Wild Apache label, and after moving to New York in 1991 to work with Bobby Konders at Massive B he cut "Tek a Set," "Westmoreland Sensi," and a reworking of "Boom Wah Dis" over Steely and Clevie's Street Sweeper riddim, which is the version most people know.
He is a Rastafarian and has addressed politics on "Politicians" and the ganja trade elsewhere.
Last updated November 4, 2026
Connections
- Henry "Junjo" Lawes (producer)
- Steely & Clevie (producer)
- Buju Banton (collaborator)
- Bounty Killer (collaborator)
- Super Cat (collaborator)
- Elephant Man (collaborator)
- Josey Wales (sparring partner)
Notes
- Wikipedia credits him with inspiring "Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, and Elephant Man" with his "deep, gruff voice": "Burro Banton," Wikipedia, accessed October 1, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burro_Banton. On Buju's name, see "Buju Banton," Wikipedia, accessed October 1, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buju_Banton.
- Wikipedia dates his start to a 1976 talent contest at Skateland and adds U Brown and Ranking Trevor to his influences: "Burro Banton," Wikipedia.
- On Black Hoover and Roots Unlimited, "Burro Banton," Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia dates Buro to 1983: "Burro Banton," Wikipedia.
- Barrow and Dalton call him "one of Volcano's top men at the mic" and note that, like other deejays who depended on a live audience, he "impressed less on vinyl": Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd ed. (London: Rough Guides, 2004), 248.
- Barrow and Dalton note that he moved to New York and "recorded regularly for Massive B": Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 434-35. Wikipedia dates the Massive B partnership to 1991: "Burro Banton," Wikipedia.
- On "Tek a Set," over "a wicked restyling of 'Cuss Cuss'," Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 434. Wikipedia says "Boom Wah Dis" was first recorded for Super Cat's Wild Apache label: "Burro Banton," Wikipedia.
