Biography
1) Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Mortimer McPherson is a singer and songwriter who has steadily become a defining voice in the modern roots reggae movement. Known for a distinct vocal delivery that effortlessly glides between a smoky alto and a delicate falsetto, he brings a fresh, soulful energy to traditional Jamaican music.
Born on June 16th, 1993 in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in the rural district of Whitehall, St. Elizabeth, as a youth, Mortimer had dreams of becoming a soldier or an auto engineer, but these aspirations soon took a back seat to music. Music was always a major source of inspiration for Mortimer for many years, beginning at age eight when he sang in his church choir.
Read full biography ↓
Mortimer released his first project Message Music in 2014 via VP Records under the name Mortimer 'Wariah' McPherson, a four-song effort produced by Jay Crazie Records. The release earned favourable reviews and cemented his commitment to a musical career.
Mortimer teamed up with Overstand Entertainment and Easy Star Records for the release of his 2019 breakthrough EP, Fight The Fight. The six-track collection served as a powerful introduction to his solo artistry, balancing heavy drum and bass grooves with deeply honest songwriting. The project was anchored by the massive success of “Lightning”," a slow-burning, down-tempo love song that resonated globally and rapidly expanded his fanbase. The EP proved that Mortimer could seamlessly shift from socially conscious roots anthems to smooth lovers rock, laying a strong foundation for his future output.
Following a dedicated period of writing and recording, Mortimer returned in 2024 with his debut full-length album From Within. The expansive project earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Reggae Album, a major milestone that highlighted his evolution as both a vocalist and a co-producer. Expanding his sonic palette, the record weaves soul and subtle 80s pop textures into his core reggae sound. With standout solo tracks like “Whole Heap” and “Not A Day Goes By”," alongside collaborations featuring Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Kabaka Pyramid, and Lila Iké, From Within captures an artist confidently pushing the boundaries of the genre while keeping his music accessible and grounded.
2) Despite the reputation surrounding their once highly sought-after 1968 LP, New York quartet Mortimer are probably best remembered for their association with The Beatles' Apple empire. Indeed, they recorded a whole album with Peter Asher in 1969 which remained vaulted for forty nine years thanks to the arrival of Allen Klein at Apple and his culling of several projects to cut costs.
It wasn't the first time that Klein had axed the release of an album by the band. In 1966 the pre-Mortimer garage rock band The Teddy Boys were signed to the Cameo Parkway label where they issued two fine and furious singles and cut an album's worth of material. Klein entered the picture at Cameo in 1967 and nixed the release of the album. Regardless of these misfortunes, The Teddy Boys were hot property in the New York clubs and were soon signed up by B,B & D Productions, a company co-run by Englishman Daniel Secunda, brother of notorious UK pop manager Tony Secunda. They installed the band at their trendy manhattan night club, Arthur, and gave them a flat where they wrote new material in a more acoustic and melodic vein.
An album was duly recorded for Mercury using this acoustic approach and a couple of promo singles lifted. The irresistable opener ‘Dedicated Music Man’ received heavy airplay in the New York area and the album reportedly sold 35,000 copies. Secunda suggested the band visit England in the summer of 1968 and they did so, securing the Apple contract almost immediately when George Harrison heard them play a floor show in the Apple offices.
The group disbanded shortly after their album was shelved. In 2017, their once lost Apple album On Our Way Home was finally given a proper release nearly fifty years later thanks to an effort by Cherry Red Records/RPM.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.