Boris Gardiner, born January 13, 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica, is a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, and bassist. He began his career performing as a bass guitarist in the Carl Malcolm Band, the Dragonaires, the Aggrovators, and the Crystalites before working as a studio bassist for Lee Perry at Black Ark studio, contributing to albums such as War Ina Babylon (1976) and Heart of the Congos (1977). His solo breakthrough came with the 1969 single "Elizabethan Reggae", which reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart in 1970, despite early pressings misattributing the track to Byron Lee and misspelling his surname. His debut studio album, Reggae Happening, was released in 1970, followed by the soundtrack Every Nigger Is a Star (1973) and the album Everything to Me (1986). In 1986, his pop single "I Want to Wake Up with You" reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and achieved top 20 placements in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The follow-up single "You're Everything to Me" reached number 11 on the UK charts, and a 1987 collaboration with Gwen Guthrie titled "Friends and Lovers" reached number 97. After signing with RCA Records, he released albums including Let's Take a Holiday (1992) and Next to You (1992), alongside compilations such as The Very Best of Boris Gardiner (2003).
