Bim Sherman

Bim Sherman
Birth name	Jarret Lloyd Vincent
Born	2 February 1950
Origin	Westmoreland, Jamaica
Died	17 November 2000 (aged 50) London
Genres	Reggae
Associated acts	On-U Sound System

Jarret Lloyd Vincent (2 February 1950 – 17 November 2000), better known by one of his stage aliases Bim Sherman (others include Jarrett Tomlinson, Jarrett Vincent, Lloyd Vincent, J. L. Vincent, Bim Shieman and Lloyd Tomlinson), was a Jamaican musician and singer-songwriter.

Biography

Rooted in reggae, his music developed in later years in many directions, combining influences from all around the world, notably India. Sherman was also hailed as "reggae's sweetest voice". Bim Sherman was gifted with a haunting, ethereal voice that reached into the very heart of his listeners. In the mid 1970s he recorded a small body of classic roots tunes as a young struggling singer in Jamaica. He later moved to London where, as part of the post-punk reggae infatuation, he made a name for himself recording with Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound label. He became part of various musical collectives associated with On-U Sound, such as New Age Steppers (alongside Ari Up, formerly of The Slits), Singers & Players (with Congo Ashanti Roy and the late Prince Far-I ), Dub Syndicate and Justice League of Zion.

Sherman also recorded a handful of solo reggae LPs. Towards the end of his life, Bim Sherman took a whole new musical direction. He went to India and re-recorded his classic 70s roots tunes alongside a full Indian classical orchestra in Bombay, creating his masterpiece LP, the highly acclaimed Miracle. This opened Sherman up to an entire new audience and he seemed at last to be emerging from the reggae underworld. It Must Be A Dream, an entire remix of Miracle was released with dance mixes by top UK DJs, followed by another notable Indian/reggae crossover LP What Happened? Then, out of the blue, Bim Sherman was diagnosed with cancer and died within weeks of his diagnosis. He received an obituary in The Times, a rare accolade for an underground reggae singer.

Discography

Albums

• 1979: Lovers Leap Showcase
• 1978: Love Forever
• 1982: Across The Red Sea
• 1984: Danger
• 1988: Ghetto Dub
• 1989: Exploitation
• 1990: Matrix Dub
• 1990: Too Hot
• 1991: Got To Move Pt. 2
• 1992: Crazy World
• 1996: Miracle
• 1997: It Must Be A Dream
• 1998: What Happened
• 2002: The Need To Live

Singles

• 1975: Tribulation
• 1975: Golden Stool
• 1975: Valley Of Tears
• 1975: 100 Years
• 1975: Trying
• 1976: My Brethren
• 1977: Mighty Ruler
• 1977: Ever Firm
• 1979: Golden Locks / Tribulation
• 1979: Lightning And Thunder
• 1979: My Woman
• 1979: Love Jah Only
• 1983: Happiness / Exile Dub
• 1989: The Power
• 1993: Winey Winey
• 1996: Solid As A Rock
• 1996: Bewildered
• 1997: It Must Be A Dream
• 1997: Can I Be Free From Crying
• 1998: Earth People
• 1998: Heaven

External links

• Discography at unofficial On-U Sound website
• Profile at unofficial On-U Sound website
• Discography at discogs.com