Zarro (Zorro)

Wayne Smith’s first studio recording, Zarro, finally lands on 7-inch after years as a near-mythical Prince Jammy cut, only occasionally heard on Jammy’s soundsystem in Jamaica. Recorded in 1980, it shares its backing track with Lacksley Castell’s What A Great Day, also available on 7-inch.

The title nods to Zorro, the masked Disney Western vigilante of 1950s and 60s TV, called out here from the late night movies. It’s an early glimpse of the voice that would later drive dancehall’s digital revolution with Under Mi Sleng Teng in 1985, also produced by Prince Jammy.

Beyond this debut and Under Mi Sleng Teng, Wayne Smith also cut two superb, underrated LPs for Prince Jammy: Youthman Skanking in 1982 and Smoker Super in 1985.