Tony Tuff

b. Winston Morris, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Tuff started his career singing in the vocal group the African Brothers alongside Sugar Minott and Derrick ‘Bubbles’ Howard. The group enjoyed a number of hits in the mid-70s, notably ‘Party Night’. They recorded as a group with Rupie Edwards and Coxsone Dodd, but in the late 70s the group disintegrated when Dodd favoured Minott as a soloist, and took him on as an apprentice at Studio One. Tuff decided to pursue other careers, but by the early 80s he was back in the recording studio. His first solo outing, ‘I’m So Glad’, a self-production, appeared on his own Winston label in Jamaica. His talents were also employed by the Yabby You Grove music connection and he achieved international success with the release of 1980’s Tony Tuff. The songs were produced in the UK by King Sounds and the artwork on the cover was designed by Brinsley Forde of Aswad. Encouraged by its success, Tuff worked with Sugar Minott for the release of 1981’s Presenting Mr. Tuff. When Tuff returned to Jamaica he performed on the sound systems, including Lees Unlimited and Volcano. His appearance on the Volcano Sound System coincided with his work with producer Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes, who ran the sound. Tuff enjoyed a number of successful singles, notably ‘Water Pumpee’ and ‘Mix Me Down’, which were both smash hits in the dancehalls and on the reggae chart. Tuff was largely absent from the charts in the ensuing decades although he continued to record and perform live.