Started his recording career as a solo artist while attending Tarrant Junior Secondary School in Kingston. He joined Black Uhuru in 1977 and led them to international success in the early 1980s, having written most of their popular material. They won the first-ever Grammy Award for Reggae in 1985 for the album "Anthem" with the hallmark voice of Michael Rose in the forefront. In 1989 he was signed to RCA and released the stringly pop-influenced album "Proud" in Europe and Japan.