After the report of Delroy Williams’ death, the reggae world has been saddened again by the news of Clive Hylton aka Colour Red’s passing on Saturday, June 1, 2004. Originally from the countryside, he relocated to Kingston with his family at the age of 10 and grew up in the tenement yards. During the peak of reggae music in the ’70s, he was in the company of artists such as The Viceroys, Mighty Diamonds, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs, and Dennis Brown.

During this time, he produced his initial recordings for producer Lee Perry. Among his most notable recordings was a track called From Creation, which was released as a special dubplate for Lloydie Coxsone’s Coxsone International Sound System in the UK. The song, inaccurately credited to Junior Byles, has since become a beloved anthem among followers of UK roots sound systems. Its lyrics emphasize themes of reality, consciousness, and faith, and it has been covered by various artists, such as Barry Brown and Don Carlos. Don Carlos had a successful hit with his version in 1984, produced by Blacka Dread.

Blacka Dread re-versioned it in 1998 with Clive Hylton aka Colour Red on vocals, along with new cuts by Don Carlos, Everton Blender, Junior Reid, and more, all on a modern digital style riddim. The riddim, mixed in Jamaica, was provided by the UK’s foremost riddim section Mafia & Fluxy with additional overdubs by Dean Fraser. His legacy will live on. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. R.I.E.P.