Big Youth, born in 1949 as Manley Buchanan, started his carrier as Jah Youth. For his enormous success with famous producers like Keith Hudson, Prince Buster, Derrick Harriot, Lee Perry or Joe Gibbs, he definitely deserves to be called "Big". He smoothed the way for whole generations of Toasters, and still today has a major influence on the Reggae-Scene. Probably the most remarkable of his appearance are the three brilliants in the mandatory colors red-gold-green, which his dentist once glued to his front-teeth.

"Screaming Target" was the first and is still the best album by Big Youth. He released a couple of singles before that (like. "S 90 Skank", named after a Motorbike), but this finally was his break-through as a Reggae-Superstar of the 70s. He presented his own DJ-Style to the world, which hadn't been there before, but still is imitated very often since then. Though U-Roy must be credited as the pioneer of Chanting-Style, no one developed it more and further than Big Youth did. On this legendary album he presents some great rhythms, e.g. Lloyd Parker's "Slaving" ("Screaming Target"), Horace Andy's "Skylarking" ("The Killer"), or KC White's "No No No" ("Concrete Jungle"). In the background, respectable artists like Gregory Isaacs or the young Dennis Brown performed, with which he started his first big tour to England in 1977, also featuring Sly & Robbie.

Even though Big Youth is still in the music-business, with stage-performances and a new album once in a few years, he never again reached the success of this debut-album. Not only for Reggae-Fans, this album is absolutely a classic.

(Last edit: 2006, Feb 08, SB, Reggae-Shack)