Eric Donaldson AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Eric Donaldson Eric Donaldson, a reggae performer, was born on June 11, 1947, in Kent Village, Jamaica, and began his music career in 1964, when he recorded three tunes for Studio One in Kingston but were never released. Shortly after, Donaldson, Leslie Burke, and Hector Brooks established the vocal group the West Indians.

The Killowatts signed with producer J.J. Johnson, who helped take the group to a hit in 1968, "Right on Time," before recording for Lee Perry a year later. However, the name change did not jumpstart the group's career, and they finally disbanded following niche albums like Slot Machine and Real Cool Operator. Donaldson has opted to continue his musical career which led to him entering the Festival Song Competition with an original work, "Cherry Oh Baby," in 1971. The song won the competition and was later released as a single, becoming a local smash.

The Rolling Stones (on their 1976 Black and Blue CD) and UB40 (1983's Labour of Love) covered the song, bringing it to a broader audience. Donaldson proceeded to release albums, including Miserable Woman (1972), What a Festival (1973), and Freedom Street (1977), among others, and went on to win the Festival Song Competition in 1977, 1978, 1984, and 1993.
Donaldson owns and operates the Cherry Oh Baby Go-Go Bar.