MICHIGAN & SMILEY
Papa Michigan (Anthony Fairclough) and General Smiley (Erroll Bennett) successfuly formed a duo in the late 1970s, making their recording debut at the legendary Studio One under the guidance of Coxsone Dodd. Their breakout hit, Rub a Dub Style, quickly climbed to number one, paving the way for an even bigger success with Nice Up The Dance, voiced over the Real Rock riddim. Their dynamic call-and-response delivery—fusing melodic vocals with rhythmic toasting—helped shape the evolving sound of reggae and dancehall. By 1982, the pair had caught the ear of pioneering dancehall producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes, who produced their most celebrated track, Diseases, laid over the wildly popular Mad Mad riddim. Though they continued recording into the early 1990s, their peak remained rooted in the early ’80s dancehall explosion. In 1991, Michigan and Smiley delivered a dancehall reinterpretation of Suzanne Vega’s Tom’s Diner, voiced over Mafia & Fluxy’s version of the Gunman riddim and released by Donovan Germain.