by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – Early in his career, Wayne Wonder had several mentors who helped guide him as an artist and person. They include producer Donovan Germain, and fellow singers Beres Hammond and Delroy Wilson.
Now considered one of dancehall’s elder statesmen, Wonder is doing the same for upcoming acts.
“Well, wi jus’ try pass on di knowledge to di younger generation. Try an’ educate them in di best way wi can,” he said recently.
One of the ways he does that is through The Daily Dose, a podcast he hosts from his South Florida home. He not only plays his current songs, but the music of his contemporaries and emerging artists like singjay Moy Sosa, deejay Badda General and singer Tamo J.
Wonder launched The Daily Dose almost two years ago and credits it for helping introduce his music to a new bloc of fans. His latest songs, I’m A King, Only Me and Fling it Up get steady rotation on the show.
Best known for songs like No Letting Go, Saddest Day, Bashment Girl and Keep Them Coming, Wayne Wonder was one of the biggest stars in dancehall during the 1990s. First, he was a member of Germain’s Penthouse Records camp, which also included Hammond, Buju Banton and Cutty Ranks.
Later that decade, he had a successful run with producer Dave Kelly’s Mad House Records.
After years of being pigeon-holed as a dancehall artist, Wonder made waves in the pop mainstream in 2003 with No Letting Go, which was a Top 20 hit in the United States and United Kingdom.
He said fans attending a Wayne Wonder show can expect “a mixture of dancehall and lovers rock. Nice music, nothing derogatory, a nice dancehall vibe.”
Wonder produced I’m A King, a cover of Wilson’s I’m Not A King. Only Me is produced by Real Squad Records while Fling it Up is a Nostrac/Blackieyaad Production.
