At A Glance: Shaggy

Shaggy
Grammy–winning reggae artiste Orville Richard Burrell, better known as ‘Shaggy’, was born on October 22, 1968. He has been noted as having a baritone-range singing voice and is said to have taken his nickname from his shaggy hair.
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Shaggy
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, at the age of 18 his family moved to the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York. In 1988, he joined the United States Marine Corps where he served in Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War.
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Shaggy
In late 1992, record producer Robert Livingston signed Shaggy to a record deal. The two released hits that included ‘Oh Carolina’ (1993), a remake of the ska hit by the Folkes Brothers, and ‘Boombastic’ (1995). Shaggy talks about when he received his first Best Reggae Album Grammy for 'Boombastic' in 1996.
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Shaggy
Shaggy’s biggest success came in 2000 with the release of his fifth studio album ‘Hot Shots’. The album was certified Diamond in the US, and has sold 8.8 million copies. ‘Hot Shots’ has an estimated 20 million worldwide sales.Here he talks about the obvious hit album that was never nominated for a Grammy in 2000.
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Shaggy
Shaggy made his acting debut in ‘Blast’, an action flick starring Eddie Griffen and Vivica A. Fox. The action movie was based on a terrorist attack on an oil rig. In an interview with The Gleaner’s Mel Cooke, Shaggy defined his character as “Mace”. “Dem shot mi up quick,” he chuckled when asked about his lifespan in the film.
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Shaggy
Shaggy has become quite the philanthropist, his pet charity being the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston. Since 2007, the artiste, through his Make a Difference Foundation, stages an annual star-studded concert billed Shaggy and Friends. Shaggy reportedly came up with the idea for the shows after visiting the hospital in 2001 where he was faced with the plight of a young girl who had been shot in the head. The concerts have raised over $57 million Jamaican dollars to date. Here he donates a $32 million cheque to the administrators of the hospital.
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Shaggy
Shaggy was the voice and the muse behind a series of brightly illustrated children’s books produced by Jana Bent. Shaggy Parrot and the Reggae Band tells the story of how he rose from being shy and underestimated to become a superstar. In the second book the parrot and his friends try to save a popular waterfall. The first book gained the 2009 Seal of Approval from the National Parenting Centre of America, the world's largest parenting advocacy group.Here he reads from the book for children at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Library.
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Shaggy
The dancehall star split from his manager Robert Livingston (left) in 2011 after almost two decades of success. The pair had set up the renowned Jamaican record label, Big Yard.
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Shaggy
In 2012, Shaggy has been drawn into a controversy about a theme song for the Jamaica50 celebrations. Shaggy was asked to produce the song ‘On a Mission’ by the Simpson-Miller administration. The song received flak for its up tempo beat, which was said to be unreflective of the country’s musical heritage. [Click photo to hear Shaggy’s side of the story.]
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