Terry Linen

b. Kiplin Simpson, 1976, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, West Indies. Simpson was influenced by the dancehall singers of the mid-80s and nurtured his vocal skills while in his teens. He embarked on his recording career when he met Anthony Red Rose in 1993. The singer turned producer took him to the studio where he produced his debut ‘The Rainbow Never Touched The Ground’. The song was not particularly successful, although Linen recorded further sessions for the producer’s How Yu Fi Sey Dat label. Following his initiation into the Jamaican recording industry the singer felt that his career would benefit with a relocation to London. He also ventured further afield into the European continent, recording the moderately successful ‘Jah Never Fail I Yet’, that was eventually released through EMI Records in Germany. Following his foray into Europe he returned to Jamaica where he was reunited with Red Rose. His singing style is similar to Garnett Silk, a fact acknowledged by his pseudonym: his colleagues decided that if he sounded like Silk then he should be known as Linen. By 1999, his career was firmly established when he recorded a version of Whitney Houston’s ‘My Love Is Your Love’, which re-united Linen with Red Rose who had set up the new Raggedy Joe fraternity. The hit was a dancehall smash and topped the reggae charts worldwide. Linen also had combination hits with Capleton and Anthony Malvo (‘Love Is Coming At You’) and with Silver Cat (‘Who A Di President’).