courtney-john
Born into a musical family, Courtney grew up in the scenic fishing village of Annotto Bay, Jamaica where he spent his time listening to the melodious tunes of his uncles Winston and Beres Hammond and by the tender age of twelve he had already written and performed his first song. Through the coming years he honed his musical skills, attending regular jam sessions where he learned more about writing, arrangement and instruments. Driven by his desire for knowledge and success Courtney moved to Toronto to complete his education. Returning to Jamaica with a Business Marketing Diploma, Courtney was focused on his one and only passion - his music career. Determined to make his dream a reality he applied his talent and business knowledge as co-founder FiWi Music, a record label known for producing quality reggae music and his critically acclaimed debut album “Miracle” under the stage name “Yogie”. “Yogie” quickly became one of the hottest up and coming artists receiving international recognition with Top Ten Single ‘1 go Crazy’, ‘That Was Then’, ‘Brighter Days,’ and ‘Here Again’, featured on Reggae Hits 2001. Building on the success and attention of his debut album and furthering his career Courtney turned his sites and talents to writing, producing and collaborating with the industries top artists where he has received international recognition. Known as one of the best songwriters and producers in reggae today Courtney has consistently delivered successful remixes of many urban, and pop artists. Producing worldwide chart topping remixes such as Nelly Furtado’s “Turn of the Lights” and “Say it Right”, which also features his vocal talent, and Jarvis Church’s’‘Run For Your Life’. This multi talented artist has also produced tracks for Beenie Man, Anthony B, Determine, Sizzla, Lenn Hammond, Brah Yhan, Sonia Collymore and more. As a lyricist Courtney’s skills are clearly evident not only on his own romantic tracks but also in Beres Hammond’s smash hit, ‘Can’t Stop A Man’ and Marcia Griffiths Shining Time. Over the years, Courtney has grown significantly as a recording artist and music industry professional and in 2004 was featured in the New York Times Magazine Jamaica special, as one of reggae music’s artist to watch. Bringing together his multitude of experience Courtney is coming to the forefront once again with the debut of his much-anticipated album “Unselfish”. Already gaining momentum, music videos for “When You Say”, “Sometimes” and “Hey” have been added to Much More Music, BETJ, MTV Jams and Demand, VH1 Soul and Tempo and can be heard on radio stations around the world. Courtney is a confident and dynamic performer whose personal style is best described as a masterful blend of cool, earthy sensuality influenced by the singing styles of his uncles, who notably remain his major inspiration, but he is also quick to point to other artists such as Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown, Lionel Ritchie and Stevie Wonder as having impacted his musical career. Combining his talents as an artist, lyricist and producer Courtney looks forward to creating and delivering soulful reggae music for years to come.