Warrior King
Artist. Revival
- Active
- 1999-present
- Sunrise
- July 27, 1979, Kingston, Jamaica
Warrior King (born Mark Dyer) is a singer whose "Virtuous Woman" (2001) was among the first records of the roots revival that followed the dancehall of the 1990s, and is still the song he is known by.
He grew up in Kingston. "Virtuous Woman," in praise of a faithful and hardworking woman, arrived when very little on the radio was saying anything of the kind, and it made him a fixture on the festival circuit. Gardy Stein has written of "the artist's velvety voice," while noting its limits "in the higher ranges."
The albums Virtuous Woman (2003) and Hold the Faith (2006) followed. He is a Rastafarian and has kept to conscious material throughout, which is the basis of a career that has run on live performance rather than chart hits.
Last updated November 5, 2026
Notes
- The Rough Guide says he "first registered on the radar in 2001 with 'Virtuous Woman.'" Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd ed. (London: Rough Guides, 2004), 378. Wikipedia says the single, produced by Michael "Mikey John" Johnson for Lion Paw, was number one on the Jamaican reggae charts in October 2001. "Warrior King (Musician)," Wikipedia, accessed October 5, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior_King_(musician).
- Wikipedia says that in his high-school talent shows he "followed the musical style" of Bounty Killer. "Warrior King (Musician)."
- The Rough Guide calls the song "a paean to the kind of princess a Bobo-dread Prince appreciates for his companion." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 378. Wikipedia reports that the Jamaica Observer named him "one of the artists who made a difference in 2001." "Warrior King (Musician)."
- Gardy Stein, "Warrior King - The Rootz Warrior," review, Reggaeville, April 3, 2016, https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/warrior-king/releases/mode/review/release/warrior-king-the-rootz-warrior.
- Discogs dates the VP album Virtuous Woman to 2002 and Hold the Faith to 2005. "Warrior King - Virtuous Woman," Discogs, accessed October 5, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/719286; "Warrior King - Hold The Faith," Discogs, accessed October 5, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/1572920. The Rough Guide calls the debut "named after the single which was massive throughout the reggae world." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 379.
- The Rough Guide calls him a "Bobo-dread singer" working in "considered, conscious material." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 378. Wikipedia notes later chart success, including "Wanna Give You Love" (2009), which spent two weeks at the top of the Jamaica Music Countdown reggae chart. "Warrior King (Musician)."
