Richell Bonner, better known as Richie Spice is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is a member of the Rastafari movement. Some of his most famous songs include, "Brown Skin", "Youth Dem Cold", "Groovin' My Girl", "Earth A Run Red", "Marijuana" and "The Plane Land". Three of his brothers are also reggae artists - Pliers, Spanner Banner, and Snatcha Lion.
Biography
Bonner was born in Rock Hall, St. Andrew, Jamaica. He is the brother of Pliers, Spanner Banner and Snatcha Lion. His first Jamaican single "Killing a Sound" was produced by Dennis "Star" Hayes. This was followed by "Shine", produced by Clive Hunt. Spice also teamed up with Hunt for his debut album on the Island Jamaica label from which came his first major hit "Grooving my girl". His second album included hits such as "Earth a Run Red", "Living Ain't Easy", "Land of Jamaica", "Time So Rough", the aforementioned "Grooving My Girl" and many others. Having gained popularity in the mid-1990s, Spice has performed at major shows such as Reggae Sunsplash, White River Reggae Bash, Rebel Salute and many others. Spice opened shows for the likes of Chaka Demus and Pliers, Spanner Banner and Rita Marley on extensive tours of Europe and the United States during 1996-1997. He again toured East North America from June to September 2001. He performed at Sting held at Jam World, St. Catherine and Sting Miami. More recently, a remix of one of his more popular tracks, "Marijuana", by Digital Mystikz's Coki, renamed "Burnin'" has focused more attention to him in the blossoming dubstep scene coming out of the UK. The original version of "Marijuana" also appears on the These Are Serious Times modern reggae compilation on XL Recordings. His song "Youth Dem Cold" was featured on Grand Theft Auto IV's Massive B Soundsytem 96.9 and the ending sound track of Attack the Block. Spice chose Book of Job as the title for his fifth album, released on 22 February 2011 on VP Records, stating that his commitment to creating uplifting music is as unwavering as Job's faith was while enduring his many hardships. His latest album, Richie Spice Acoustic - Soothing Sounds, is set for release in October 2012 and features musicians such as Robbie Shakespeare and Bongo Herman. He also runs the Bonner Cornerstone label with his brothers. Richie Spice is a supporter of Food For the Poor Jamaica, and gives a proportion of the proceeds from his performances to the charity.
