Reggae artist Capleton is counting his lucky stars and giving thanks this evening after his motor vehicle overturned along the St. Thomas main road. The deejay real name Clifton George Bailey III, was on his way from an event in the Parish with Sizzla Kolonji (who was in a separate car) when the accident happened. He was taken to the hospital for his minor injuries and has since been released.
He released a statement confirming the incident.
Capleton originally from Islington in St. Mary was given the surname of a popular St. Mary lawyer and friend of the family, Capleton, as a nickname by his relatives and friends. Capleton rejects the name given to him at birth. He now prefers “King Shango”, given its roots in the Yoruba language.
As a teenager, he sneaked out of his home to catch local dancehall acts, eventually leaving St. Mary for Kingston at the age of 18 to work on his career as a dancehall deejay.
In the 1990s DefJam signed Capleton and released two chart topping albums “Prophecy”, which peaked at number 65 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart in 1995 and I-Testament, released in 1997. Capleton also climbed the charts with the singles ‘Tour’ reaching number 57 on the Hot 100 Chart, ‘Wings of The Morning’ reaching number 79 and Heathen Rage peaked at number 79 on the R&B Hip Hop Songs Chart.
He has enjoyed other successes during his career with Grammy nominated albums with VP records, and world wide tours. Capleton’s annual ‘A St Mary Mi Come From’ live show has raised funds for several charities since it was first staged in 2000, including local schools and hospitals.
