Shaggy is the stage name of Orville Richard Burrell. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica on October 22, 1968. His family moved to the United States from Jamaica and they settled in the neighborhood of Flatbush, Brooklyn, a borough in New York City. Shaggy joined the United States Marine Corps as a Field Artillery Cannon Crewman with 5th Battalion, 10th Marines in 1988. While enlisted in the Marines he served during Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War. It was during this time that Shaggy perfected his signature singing voice, breaking the constant monotony of running and marching cadences with his flair for inflection. It is also where he got the inspiration for his song "Mr. Boombastic". Upon his return from the Arabian Gulf, Shaggy decided to go for a music career. In 1993, he hit it big with the song, "Oh Carolina". It was the first of Shaggy’s four UK number one singles spending two weeks at the top in March 1993. The song didn’t do as well in the U.S., peaking at number fifty nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He had further big hits, including "Boombastic" in 1995, the theme tune of a popular Levi’s commercial. Shaggy has released nine albums, three of which have gone platinum.
|
