Born in
Westmoreland, Jamaica, Washington moved with his family to
London in the early 1960s. His early experience in the music industry was as a session musician and tour manager. Washington wrote songs with Marley and worked with him on making Marley's lyrics more suitable for European listeners. He also provided backing vocals on the debut album from
Aswad. He continued to record as a solo artist and was one of the first reggae artists signed by Virgin Records in the mid-1970s, his "Give All the Praise to Jah" single became a success on the British reggae charts. Washington founded the Federation of Reggae Music, which worked with
Brent Council to install a
blue plaque on the house in
Neasden where the Wailers lived in the early 1970s. Washington was
diabetic, but he followed a healthful lifestyle to manage the disease: He was a
pescetarian and practiced
karate. Washington died in
London on 27 March 2020 from
COVID-19. ==Discography==