The haunting voice of Burning Spear has long carried the torch for conscious reggae roots music. Uncompromising, Spear sets the highest example of living the teachings. Born Winston Rodney in the rural seaside township of St. Anne's Bay, Jamaica, he learned, while still a youth, of the visionary black leader Marcus Garvey, who shared his same birthplace. Garvey's teachings would later influence Burning Spear deeply. Winston spent his early years on the land, working with his hands as a stonemason and builder. Music always held an attraction for him, but opportunities were few. It was Bob Marley (also from St. Anne's) who first pushed him to try his luck in Kingston, and in 1969 introduced him to the top Jamaican record producer of the time, Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd.
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