STITCHIE… traces his journey from dancehall star to spiritual man in the autobiography
HAILED as an original when he entered the dancehall arena in the 1980s, deejay Stitchie gave secular music a break a decade later and became a Christian.
He traces his journey from dancehall kingpin to spiritual man in the autobiography, The Power of Determination, released in December by his Drum and Bass Publishing.
“One of my key ambitions is to share the word of God not just in churches with their congregations, but also with those in the dancehalls through the gift God has given me,” said Stitchie through a statement.
Stitchie is scheduled to balance genres on January 18 by performing on Rebel Salute in Priory, St Ann.
Born Cleve Laing, Stitchie started his career on the Spanish Town sound system circuit in the early 1980s as Lieutenant Stitchie.
He topped local charts in 1987 with the hilarious Wear Yu Size. Natty Dreadlocks, another chart-topper, followed and in 1988 Stitchie was signed to the major Atlantic Records.
He had reasonable success with that label, scoring with the songs Night and Day and Dress To Impress which made Billboard magazine’s chart.
Stitchie was among a number of dancehall and reggae acts who converted to Christianity in the late 1990s.
His gospel albums include Real Power and Kingdom Ambassador.
