By Howard Campbell
For almost 20 years, Wayne Marshall lived the dancehall/reggae lifestyle. He rubbed shoulders with the Marley’s, Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel but something was missing.
Glory to God, his latest song, expresses his conversion to Christianity. Released in March, it also features Tessanne Chin, his sister-in-law and season five winner of The Voice, and Jamaican gospel singer Ryan Mark.
The song is number one on Foundation Radio Network’s New York Chart. It went number one month after Marshall’s father died from a heart attack, and two weeks after he cut his shoulder-length dreadlocks.
“The last year of my life has been rewarding because I set out to make a mark in music and return to the airwaves with a bang. I not only achieved that but I penned the best song of my career so far,” said Marshall. “It’s not just any old song, it’s a declaration of my belief in something bigger than us. It’s a prayer that Jamaica needed to sing in this time. I am grateful beyond words.”
Marshall, 38, is known for the hit songs Hot In The Club and Overcome. He was once a member of Bounty Killer’s Alliance and in recent years, toured with Stephen Marley and Damian “Junior Gong” Marley as part of their Ghetto Youths International company.
Born Wayne Mitchell, Marshall is from an upper middle-class family in Jamaica. One of his neighbors was music producer Lloyd “King Jammys” James, whose sons Lloyd and Trevor first took him to a recording studio.
Marshall’s breakthrough hit was 2001’s Hot In The Club, produced by King Jammys’ proteges, Ward 21. The following year, he had greater success with Overcome, produced by Steven “Lenky” Marsden on the hot Diwali beat.
Though he has toured the United States and Europe extensively with the Marley’s in the last six years, Marshall considers Glory to God his greatest triumph.
“I expected great things from the song based on the inspiration that brought it forward but it’s still exceeding my expectations. The song is being played everywhere. In the churches, parties, dancehall, social media, street corners and in homes across the world. It’s truly a blessing,” he said.
