b. Anthony Cameron, c.1962, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. At the start of his career, Michael Rose recorded as Tony Rose, which led to Anthony performing as Red Rose to avoid confusion. Anthony Red Rose has the distinction of recording the first hit from King Tubby’s new studio in 1985. The song ‘Tempo’ was recorded in the Waterhouse style initially popularized by Tenor Saw, and the latter’s popular song ‘Fever’ was almost identical to the Red Rose hit. He continued recording sporadic hits, including ‘Reminisce’, with haunting backing vocals from Brian And Tony Gold, ‘Vanity Rush’, ‘Babylon Be Still’ and ‘Not Ready For My Loving’. By 1994 he enjoyed a number of combination hits with ‘Gun Talk’, alongside Tony Rebel’s ‘You A Mi Heart’, featuring the up-and-coming DJ Merciless, and ‘Ragga Reggae’ with Don Youth, while ‘Never Get’ featured Anthony Malvo, who also performed with Red Rose alongside Cobra for ‘Rumours’ and Prezident Brown for ‘Red Alert’. The US release of Family Man was met with critical acclaim. With the increasing popularity of jungle music, Red Rose’s ‘Tempo’ enjoyed a revival hit when remixed in the fast style. While he continued to record dancehall hits he also pursued a career as a producer and formed a partnership with Anthony Malvo for the How Yu Fi Seh Dat? and RR&M productions. The duo produced their own vocal excursions alongside hits for Beenie Man (‘Name Brand’) and Red Dragon (‘Sweet Heart’). In 1995, they produced Simpleton’s smash hit, ‘Quarter To Twelve’. The rhythm led to numerous versions and the release of the one-rhythm Quarter To Twelve, featuring contributions from Beenie Man, Cobra and Snagga Puss. The album initially surfaced in typical dancehall fashion as strictly vinyl and without a sleeve. In 1996 the team followed their success with the equally popular hit ‘Explode Gal’ for Red Dragon, restoring the DJ’s credibility after his crossover hit with Brian And Tony Gold. Red Rose and Malvo demonstrated their versatility when they produced Brown Sugar for the classic ‘Sensimilla Babe’, an ode to marijuana in a lovers rock style.
