Harry J

Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer of African, Sicilian and Scottish descent.

Biography

Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player before moving into management of the group. When the band split up he worked as an insurance salesman. He first appeared as a record producer in 1968, when he launched his own record label, "Harry J", by releasing The Beltones' local hit "No More Heartaches", one of the earliest reggae songs to be recorded. His agreement with Coxsone Dodd allowed him to use Studio One's facilities, where he produced the hit "Cuss Cuss" with singer Lloyd Robinson, which became one of the most covered riddims in Jamaica. Johnson also released music under a subsidiary label, Jaywax.

In October 1969, he met success in the UK with "The Liquidator" (number 9 in the UK Singles Chart) recorded with his sessionband, The Harry J All Stars (it was also a hit in 1980, reaching number 42). This single became one of the anthems of the emerging skinhead youth subculture; together with other instrumental hits released in the UK through his own subdivision "Harry J" on Trojan Records, on a compilation album of the same name.

Harry Lennix

Harry Joseph Lennix III (born November 16, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Terrence "Dresser" Williams in the Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats (1991) and as Boyd Langton in the Joss Whedon television series Dollhouse. Lennix currently co-stars as Harold Cooper, Assistant Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division, on the NBC drama The Blacklist.

Early life

The youngest of four siblings, Lennix was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Lillian C. (née Vines), a laundress, and Harry Lennix, Jr., a machinist who was a Creole from Louisiana. Lennix attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and Northwestern University, where he majored in Acting and Direction. In his senior year at Northwestern, he was the coordinator of the African-American student organization, For Members Only. He taught music and civics for several years in the Chicago Public School system and is a frequent lecturer.

In 2009, he married Djena Graves.

Career

Lennix starred in the Showtime Networks made-for-cable television film Keep the Faith, Baby (2002) as Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who was a legendary Harlem Congressman from 1944 to 1972; in the movie Titus (1999), based on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, as Aaron the Moor; and in the ABC television series Commander in Chief. Lennix currently co-stars as Harold Cooper, Assistant Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division, on the NBC drama The Blacklist, which debuted September 23, 2013.