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David Corio/Redferns U-Roy, the influential reggae artist who specialized in the art of toasting and whose style became a key precursor in the early development of hip-hop, has died at the age of 78. The singer and producer died in his native Jamaica Wednesday after a long illness, Loop Jamaica reported. “We are very sad to announce that pioneering DJ who revolutionised the sound of Jamaican music in the early Seventies – Ewat Beckford aka U Roy has passed away at the age of 78 yeste...

U-Roy, legendary reggae toaster, dies aged 78 Laura Snapes © Provided by The Guardian Photograph: Roger Garfield/Alamy The legendary toaster U-Roy has died aged 78, a representative for Trojan Records has confirmed. No cause of death has been made public. The British reggae DJ David Rodigan was among those to pay tribute, describing U-Roy as “the paradigm of Jamaican music … I was always in awe of him; the tone of voice, the cadence, the lyrical shimmering and riddim ridi...

A variety of Peter Barnes monologues will be brought to online audiences. Produced by Original Theatre Company and Perfectly Normal Productions, the four-part series will star Jon Culshaw, Matthew Kelly, Jemma Redgrave and Adrian Scarborough with direction from Philip Franks and Charlotte Peters. Available online from 18 February to 31 July, the monologues will be filmed at Theatre Royal Windsor before being made available. Peters will direct Culshaw in Billy & Me, while Franks will direct the...