Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) Boothe cites singer Owen Gray as a major influence, particularly after hearing Gray perform the Leiber and Stoller rhythm and blues version of the 1920s blues standard, "Kansas City Blues", written by E L Bowman and notably performed by Jim Jackson in 1927. Stranger Cole, who was an established artist and neighbor to Boothe, had already worked with Boothe on the Sir Percy sound system as well as recording two songs for independent producer Sir Mike though Boothe's major breakthrough came in 1963 after Cole arranged an audition at Duke Reid's studio. This was followed by the singles "Thick in Love" both released in 1963 on R&B Records. They released several more popular singles between 1963 and 1965, including "World's Fair", "Hush", and "Artibella".
After Kong died, Boothe recorded for many of Jamaica's top producers during the early 1970s, including Keith Hudson, Herman Chin Loy, Vincent "Randy" Chin, and Phil Pratt. Boothe's reggae version of the song "Everything I Own" reached Number One in the UK Singles Chart on 26 October 1974, and stayed at the top of the charts for three weeks. It featured Lloyd Parks on bass guitar, Paul Douglas a.k.a. Paul Williams on drums, Willie Lindo on guitar, and Lloyd Charmers on organ, piano and percussion. The recording was produced by Lloyd Charmers.
Boothe had one more hit in the UK Singles Chart during the 1970s, "Crying Over You", Boothe recorded a reggae version of the standard "When I Fall in Love" which was released in 1974 on the Studio One label.
In 1978, along with Dillinger, Leroy Smart, and Delroy Wilson, Boothe was referenced by lyricist Joe Strummer in the Clash's song, "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais". Boothe reunited with Charmers in the late 1970s when a revived Trojan Records released the albums Blood Brothers (first issued on LTD in 1976) and Who Gets Your Love, but the reunion proved to be short-lived.
Boothe was awarded the Order of Distinction for his contribution to Jamaican music by the Jamaican government in 2003.
Discography
thumb|Boothe in concert on 6 November 2016 in Ghent
thumb|Boothe (right) with director Ras Tingle in 2011
Albums
- Mr Rock Steady (1967)
- More of Ken Boothe (1968)
- Freedom Street (1970)
- Boothe Unlimited (1972)
- Black Gold and Green (1973)
- Let's Get It On (1974), Trojan
- Everything I Own (1974)
- Blood Brothers (1976)
- Disco Reggae (1978)
- Showcase (1978)
- Who Gets Your Love (1979)
- I'm Just a Man (1979)
- Reggae For Lovers (1979)
- Got To Get Away Showcase (197?)
- Imagine (1986)
- Don't You Know (1987)
- Talk to Me (1990)
- Power of Love (1993)
- Natural Feeling (1995)
- Acclaimed (1996)
- Gospel Door 2 Door (2001)
- Love is the Ultimate (2003)
- Journey (2012)
- Old Fashioned Ways (with Jah Wobble) (2025)
Compilation albums
- A Man and His Hits (1974)
- Live Good (1978)
- The Ken Boothe Collection (Trojan 1987)
- The Ken Boothe Collection (Rhino 1995)
- Crying Over You - Anthology 1963 to 1978 (2001)
- Everything I Own - The Definitive Collection (2007)
UK hit singles
- "Everything I Own" - (1974) - UK No. 1
- "Crying Over You" - (1974) - UK No. 11