Tarrus Riley

As the son of reggae legend Jimmy Riley, it's fair to say that Tarrus Riley has felt the weight of high expectations, which makes it all the more impressive that he's managed to live up to them and become one of the most respected reggae artists of his generation. Born Omar Riley in The Bronx, New York, he was brought up in Jamaica and while his first musical ambition was to be a DJ, his passion was for singing, and he debuted as a vocalist while he was still in his teens. However, even at such a young age Riley wasn't going to ride anyone else's coat-tails, and so he took the stage name Tarrus Riley, and earned his first record deal with VP Records in 2004. Riley released his debut album in the same year, with his album “Challenges” becoming one of the critical hits of the year.

However, he wouldn't begin to have genuine hits until the 2006 release of his second album “Parables”. Its singles “Stay With You”, “Beware” and “Lion Paw” becoming huge hits in their own right, while the album's third single “She's Royal” was awarded the title of Most Admired Song in the Past 15 Years from Jamaica's CVM TV in 2009. Ever since then, Riley has become so much more than just “Jimmy's Son”. As a hugely respected artist in his own right all over the world, with nominations for Soul Train Music Awards, MOBO's and Reggae Academy Awards to his name. For all that, Tarrus Riley comes highly recommended.