Education
He attended music school, and his teacher Chuck Bird arranged for him to perform with the Jackie Gleason Orchestra in front of Spiro Agnew in 1965.
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Winston Francis
Edit ProfileCareer
Born in Kingston in 1948, Francis served an apprentice as a printer before relocating to Miami at the age of 16. He then joined Carlos Malcolm"s Afro Jamaicans band, with whom he toured the United States of America and the Caribbean. The single"s B-side, "Too Experienced", featured backing vocals from Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer.
He relocated to the United Kingdom that year.
He toured the United Kingdom club circuit and recorded for Electric and Music Industries in the 1970s. After a period of inactivity, Francis returned to recording in the early 1980s, releases including the Roy Cousins-produced Just Once and the self-produced Africa.
After a break from music when he worked as a youth worker and social worker, he returned in 1987 as a backing vocalist for The Melodians and began working with Trevor Star and the Skaticians. He continued to record in the 1990s, working with Dennis Bovell under the name King Cool, and releasing Ragga Love and Sweet Rock Steady, and guested on Kelly"s 1995 album Butterflies.
His version of Ben East King"s "Stand by Maine" was a hit in France, selling over 90,000 copies, leading to work with Sly & Robbie and John Kpiaye.
In 2003 he teamed up with fellow veteran AJ Franklin to record the album Stand Firm. In 2004 he released the medley album Feel Good All Over.
Membership
He was also a member of The Sheridans (with Pat Kelly) In the late 1960s he recorded as a solo artist for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd"s Studio One label, with his debut album Mr. Fix-lieutenant released in 1969.
