Real name Earl John Daley, Earl Sixteen - or Earl 16 - is a Jamaican roots reggae singer born in Kingston on May 9, 1958. He began by singing in local talent contests, before joining the group Flaming Phonics, where he became the lead singer. After a bad studio experience with Duke Reid, Daley decided to go solo, recording Winston McAnuff's "Malcolm X" in 1975, produced by Joe Gibbs. Two years later, he joined Boris Gardiner's band, the Boris Gardiner Happening, which put him in touch with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. He recorded four tracks with him and met Earl Morgan of The Heptones, who produced his album Shining Star (1983). Meanwhile, Earl Sixteen had already recorded solo albums Reggae Sound (1981), Julia (1982), Showcase (1982), recorded at the famous Studio One with Clement Dodd, and Super Duper (1983). He also collaborated with Mikey Dread, Derrick Harriott, Augustus Pablo, Sugar Minott, Yabby You and Linval Thompson. In 1985, after living in the USA, he moved to England and covered Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years". He signed with the Ariwa Sounds label for the album Babylon Walls (1992) and collaborated with Mad Professor, Dreadzone and Leftfield. In 1997, Steppin' Out was released by WEA, followed by some 15 albums for other labels, including Mash Up the Dance (2004), Wake Up (2006), The Fittest (2011), Natty Farming (2014), Higher Than I (2022), Rightful Ruler (2022) and Concrete Rockers (2025).
