The Most Famous

SINGERS from Jamaica

This page contains a list of the greatest Jamaican Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 4,381 Singers, 27 of which were born in Jamaica. This makes Jamaica the birth place of the 32nd most number of Singers behind Romania, and Mexico.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Jamaican Singers of all time. This list of famous Jamaican Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Jamaican Singers.

1. Grace Jones (b. 1948)

With an HPI of 69.91, Grace Jones is the most famous Jamaican Singer. Her biography has been translated into 47 different languages on wikipedia.

Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo, and appearing on the covers of Elle and Vogue. She notably worked with photographers such as Jean-Paul Goude, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and Hans Feurer, and became known for her distinctive androgynous appearance and bold features. Beginning in 1977, Jones embarked on a music career, securing a record deal with Island Records and initially becoming a high-profile figure of New York City's Studio 54-centered disco scene. In the early 1980s, she moved toward a new wave style that drew on reggae, funk, post-punk, and pop music, frequently collaborating with both the graphic designer Jean-Paul Goude and the musical duo Sly & Robbie. She scored Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart with "Private Life", "Pull Up to the Bumper", "Love Is the Drug", and "Slave to the Rhythm". In 1982, she released the music video collection A One Man Show, directed by Goude, which earned her a nomination for Best Video Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards. Her most popular albums include Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), and Slave to the Rhythm (1985). As an actress, Jones appeared in several indie films prior to landing her first mainstream appearance as Zula in the fantasy-action film Conan the Destroyer (1984) alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Douglas, and subsequently appeared in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985) as May Day, and starred as a vampire in Vamp (1986); all of which earned her nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1992, Jones acted in the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang, and contributed to the soundtrack. She also appeared alongside Tim Curry in the 2001 film Wolf Girl. Jones was ranked 82nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll (1999). In 2008, she was honored with a Q Idol Award. Jones influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s and has been cited as an inspiration for multiple artists, including Annie Lennox, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Solange, Lorde, Róisín Murphy, Brazilian Girls, Nile Rodgers, Santigold, and Basement Jaxx. In 2016, Billboard ranked her as the 40th greatest dance club artist of all time.

2. Max Romeo (1944 - 2025)

With an HPI of 66.72, Max Romeo is the 2nd most famous Jamaican Singer. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Maxwell Livingston Smith (22 November 1944 – 11 April 2025), known professionally as Max Romeo, was a Jamaican reggae and roots reggae recording musician who achieved chart success in his home country and in the United Kingdom. He had several hits with the vocal group the Emotions. His song "Wet Dream" (1968) included overtly sexual lyrics and launched a new style of reggae.

3. Jimmy Cliff (b. 1948)

With an HPI of 66.06, Jimmy Cliff is the 3rd most famous Jamaican Singer. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

James Chambers, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences. Cliff is best known among mainstream audiences for songs such as "Many Rivers to Cross", "You Can Get It If You Really Want", "The Harder They Come", "Reggae Night", and "Hakuna Matata", and his covers of Cat Stevens's "Wild World" and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film Cool Runnings. He starred in the film The Harder They Come, which helped popularize reggae around the world, and Club Paradise. Cliff was one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

4. Liz Mitchell (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 64.10, Liz Mitchell is the 4th most famous Jamaican Singer. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Elizabeth Rebecca Pemberton-Mitchell (born 12 July 1952) is a British singer, best known as one of the original singers of the 1970s disco and reggae band Boney M. Mitchell now lives in Reading, UK.

5. Millie Small (1947 - 2020)

With an HPI of 60.75, Millie Small is the 5th most famous Jamaican Singer. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Millicent Dolly May Small CD (6 October 1947 – 5 May 2020) was a Jamaican singer who is best known for her international hit "My Boy Lollipop" (1964). The song reached number two in both the UK and US charts and sold over seven million copies worldwide. It was also the first major hit for Island Records and helped to achieve the label its mainstream success. She was the Caribbean's first international recording star and its most successful female performer.

6. Jacob Miller (1952 - 1980)

With an HPI of 60.33, Jacob Miller is the 6th most famous Jamaican Singer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Jacob Miller (4 May 1952 – 23 March 1980) was a Jamaican reggae artist. His first recording session was with the producer Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd in the late 1960s. While pursuing a solo career, he became the lead singer for Inner Circle, a Jamaican roots reggae band. Miller recorded and toured with Inner Circle before he died in a car crash in early 1980 at age 27.

7. Cedella Booker (1926 - 2008)

With an HPI of 59.79, Cedella Booker is the 7th most famous Jamaican Singer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Sidilla Editha "Cedella" Booker (previously Marley, née Malcolm; 23 July 1926 – 8 April 2008) was the mother of reggae legend Bob Marley.

8. Shaggy (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 59.18, Shaggy is the 8th most famous Jamaican Singer. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Orville Richard Burrell (born October 22, 1968), known professionally as Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae musician who scored hits with the songs "It Wasn't Me", "Boombastic", "In the Summertime", "Oh Carolina", and "Angel". He has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards, winning twice for Best Reggae Album with Boombastic in 1996 and 44/876 with Sting in 2019, and has won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002. In 2007, he was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander. In 2022, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.

9. Bunny Wailer (1947 - 2021)

With an HPI of 57.98, Bunny Wailer is the 9th most famous Jamaican Singer. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Neville O'Riley Livingston (10 April 1947 – 2 March 2021), known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he is considered one of the longtime standard-bearers of reggae music. He was also known as Jah B, Bunny O'Riley, and Bunny Livingston.

10. Burning Spear (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 57.94, Burning Spear is the 10th most famous Jamaican Singer. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots artists to emerge from the 1970s.

People

Pantheon has 27 people classified as Jamaican singers born between 1926 and 1986. Of these 27, 17 (62.96%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Jamaican singers include Grace Jones, Jimmy Cliff, and Liz Mitchell. The most famous deceased Jamaican singers include Max Romeo, Millie Small, and Jacob Miller. As of April 2024, 27 new Jamaican singers have been added to Pantheon including Grace Jones, Max Romeo, and Jimmy Cliff.