OLDIES SUNDAY: Ray I – Weatherman Skank (1977)

If you haven’t heard the news, Hurricane Melissa is upon us. For those in Jamaica, Haiti/Dominican Republic, Cuba, and surrounding areas/Islands, we urge you to please be safe. While we try to secure our belongings and sanity, we play music. How about something from “Oldies Sunday“? Today, we go back to the 70s to check out Ray I’s “Weatherman Skank“.

Produced by Carlton Patterson on the “Weatherman Skank Riddim“, and released through the Black & White Label in 1977, Ray I brings us the forecast for today, and everyday in, “Weatherman Skank”. Over some energetic production, Ray I gets busy with the deejaying throughout, giving Weather updates, and handling the Riddim with ease. The “Weatherman Skank Riddim” was a popular Riddim back in the day, and Ray I’s single was not only popular, but was just one of many releases that took control of the scene with the Artists grasping your attention with their crowd-gathering lyrics and flow. The popularity of the single also earned him the nickname, “Weather Man“.

Since the release of “Weatherman Skank”, Ray I would release a number of singles and a couple albums over the years. He was active some time in the early 2020s, but not much has been heard about him since. “Weatherman Skank” is still played in parts of the world. Stay safe, stay dry.