Dandy Livingstone

Robert Livingstone Thompson, better known as Dandy Livingstone, was born on December 14, 1943, in Kingston, Jamaica. He began his music career at age fifteen when he moved to London and met Alex “Dimples” Hinds while working for Island Records. In the early 1960s, while working for Cross Bow Records, he recorded his first songs in a studio session with Alan Crawford, including "What a life!". He achieved initial success with hits such as "Rudy, A Message To You", which was later covered by The Specials and released by Giant Records. In 1968, he signed with Trojan Records, where he gained significant popularity with tracks like "Reggae in Your Jeggae" and his cover of "Red Red Wine". His prolific output continued into the early 1970s when he released hits such as "Suzanne Beware Of The Devil", which reached Number 20, and "Big City". Despite his success, Trojan Records' financial struggles led to its eventual closure in 1975. Although he returned to Jamaica and largely disappeared from the music scene, many of his songs continued to gain recognition through subsequent cover versions by artists like UB40 and The Specials.