Michelle
Happy Heavenly Birthday Wayne “Sleng Teng” Smith
Wayne Smith was born on December 5, 1965, Waterhouse, Kingston, Jamaica. Wayne is automatically associated with the “Sleng Teng” riddim and song. Wayne’s career first started in the late ’70s when he recorded the songs “Life is a moment” and “Ain’t no me without you” for Jammy’s.
In 1984, Wayne brought forth the riddim on a small digital Casio keyboard with Noel Davey. They both were the ones who arranged the riddim, slowed it down, matched it to his key, and rehearsed on it. They took this riddim to Jammy’s to try to release “Sleng Teng” for two months of asking it fell on deaf ears. After the song played in a soundclash, Jammy’s saw the crowds reaction and decided to place a clap on the riddim and release it.
After that, Jammy recorded several other artists on the original backing track, including Tenor Saw with “Pumpkin Belly,” and Johnny Osbourne with “Buddy Bye.” Jammy updated the riddim in 2005. Jammy sped it up slightly and added horn riff. This version is now known as “Sleng Teng Resurrection.”
