Ainsworth Roy Rushton Shirley, known as Roy Shirley, was a Jamaican singer and songwriter. Shirley began a career performing in talent contests and was a member of the group The Uniques. A breakthrough occurred in 1965 with the single “Oh Shirley” (1965), co-arranged with Jimmy Cliff. In 1966, Shirley recorded “Hold Them” (1966), which is recognized as one of the first rocksteady songs. Shirley worked with producers including Joe Gibbs and Bunny Lee, achieving success with the singles “Music Field” (1967) and “Get on the Ball” (1967). Shirley founded the label Public in 1968. Their debut album The Winner (1976) was followed by releases including Good News (1981) and The Return of the High Priest (1982). Shirley performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1982. Shirley died in 2008.
