World of Jamaican Music

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Samory I

Artist. Revival

Active
2015-present
Sunrise
November 21, 1989, Kencot, Kingston, Jamaica

Samory I, born Samory-Tour Frazer in Kingston on November 21, 1989, is a roots singer from Kencot whose voice at least one reviewer has likened to Garnett Silk's. His father, a keen reader, named him after Samory Touré, the West African ruler who fought French colonial expansion in the nineteenth century.

He sang in church as a child and later with a group called JDT in local competitions. In 2013 he began recording in earnest, under the management of Bridgett Anderson of First Born Management, who had managed Garnett Silk. His first single, "Just Believe," was for AJANG Records, and "With You" followed in 2014. "Take Me Oh Jah," on Rory "Stone Love" Gilligan's Zeen riddim, led to a full album with Gilligan: Black Gold (2017), released through his Black Dub label, which carried "Rasta Nuh Gangsta," "Son of David," and the title track and made Samory I a regular on the European festival circuit, including Rototom Sunsplash, Summerjam, and Reggae Geel. Gardy Stein wrote of the album that "all the emotions you can think of, resonate in his voice."

He then began working with Phillip "Winta" James, producer for Protoje and Chronixx. "Love and Mercy," on James's Gratitude riddim, came out in 2022, and he sang on "Heavy Load," the closing track of Protoje's Third Time's the Charm. Strength, produced by James and released on November 17, 2023, by Overstand Entertainment and Easy Star, has guest appearances by Lila Iké, Jesse Royal, Mortimer, Kabaka Pyramid, and Capleton; Rolling Stone placed it forty-second among the albums of the year, the only reggae record on the list. A deluxe edition in October 2024 added three songs, among them a cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Will Know," with dubs by Tippy I Grade of Zion I Kings. He has also recorded with Chi Ching Ching ("Life Is Amazing") and played Protoje's Lost in Time festival.

Last updated November 5, 2026

Connections

Notes

  1. "Biography: Samory I," Reggaeville, accessed October 5, 2026, https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/samory-i/about/, which gives Kencot as his birthplace.
  2. Magni hears "a passionate vocal style slightly reminiscent of the late Garnett Silk." Erik Magni, "Samory I - Black Gold," United Reggae, August 4, 2017, https://unitedreggae.com/articles/n2231/080417/samory-i-black-gold.
  3. He told Katz he was named by his father, "a massive reader." David Katz, "Interview: Samory I," United Reggae, August 20, 2017, https://unitedreggae.com/articles/n2223/082017/interview-samory-i. Katz spells the name "Samory Toure Fraser." On Samory Touré, "Biography: Samory I."
  4. On the church and the group JDT, "5 Questions With Samory I," Jamaica Gleaner, July 19, 2024, https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20240719/5-questions-samory-i. He told Katz he had left the gospel group by the age of sixteen. Katz, "Interview: Samory I."
  5. The Gleaner names Anderson of First Born Management as the manager of Garnett Silk and Jahmali. "5 Questions With Samory I." He told Katz he met her around 2009. Katz, "Interview: Samory I."
  6. He told Katz that "Just Believe" came out in 2013, on Ajang, with "With You." Katz, "Interview: Samory I." Magni dates "With You" to 2014. Magni, "Samory I - Black Gold."
  7. Magni dates "Take Me Oh Jah," on the Zeen riddim, to 2015 and notes that "Black Gold" was delayed from March to July 2017. Magni, "Samory I - Black Gold." The album was issued on Black Dub. "Rorystonelove Presents Samory I - Black Gold," Discogs, accessed October 5, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/master/1267176. On the singles and the festivals, "Biography: Samory I."; "5 Questions With Samory I." He was booked for Reggae Geel in 2022. "Samory I Sings Gratitude," Jamaica Gleaner, May 4, 2022, http://past.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20220504/samory-i-sings-gratitude.
  8. Gardy Stein, "Samory I - Black Gold," review, Reggaeville, July 14, 2017, https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/samory-i/releases/mode/review/release/samory-i-black-gold/.
  9. He told DancehallMag that he and Winta James had been working on the album since 2018. Kediesha Perry, "Interview: Samory I on His Musical Journey, and Debut Solo Album 'Strength'," DancehallMag, October 22, 2023, https://www.dancehallmag.com/2023/10/22/features/interviews/interview-samory-i-on-his-musical-journey-and-debut-solo-album-strength.html.
  10. On "Love and Mercy" and the Gratitude riddim, "Samory I Sings Gratitude." Reggaeville dates the song to April 2022 and calls "Heavy Load" the closing track of Protoje's album. "Biography: Samory I." He credits Protoje with pushing him to record again. Perry, "Interview: Samory I."
  11. Kevin Jackson, "Samory I's Strength Makes Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums List," Jamaica Observer, December 5, 2023, https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/samory-is-strength-makes-rolling-stones-100-best-albums-list/; "The 100 Best Albums of 2023," Rolling Stone, accessed October 5, 2026, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-2023-1234879538/samory-i-strength-1234885960/. The deluxe edition's press release calls it "the only reggae album featured on Rolling Stone's Best Albums list in 2023." "Samory I Releases Deluxe Edition of Album 'Strength,'" The Urban Music Scene, October 4, 2024, https://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2024/10/samory-i-releases-deluxe-edition-of-album-strength/.
  12. The press release says "the deluxe edition includes three new tracks, each paired with an exclusive dub version mixed by Tippy I Grade of Zion I Kings." "Samory I Releases Deluxe Edition." The Easy Star page instead mentions "experimental Fumiaki Ogata dub versions." "Samory I - Strength Deluxe," Easy Star Records, accessed October 5, 2026, https://easystar.com/releases/strengthdeluxe/.
  13. On "Life Is Amazing," Perry, "Interview: Samory I." He was billed for the first Lost in Time festival in 2023. Aaliyah Cunningham, "All Systems Go for Lost in Time Festival," Jamaica Gleaner, February 24, 2023, https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20230224/all-systems-go-lost-time-festival.

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