In 1969 he recorded an album, Come Back Darling, again for Riley. On the day that he completed the album, Osbourne emigrated to Toronto, Canada, to join his family.  After singing with various soul and reggae groups, he became lead vocalist for Ishan People, and recorded two albums with them. The group broke up in 1979, and Osbourne decided to return to Jamaica.

Shortly after returning, he recorded “Forgive Them” and “Jealousy, Heartache and Pain” for the Studio One label. Through late 1979 and early 1980 he recorded extensively for Dodd, with these sessions culminating in Truths and Rights. In 1979 he also had a hit for King Jammy (then Prince Jammy) with “Folly Ranking”, and an album of the same name followed in 1980.

The success of these recordings made him one of the most in-demand vocalists on the island, and a glut of material was released, including Fally Lover, Warrior, Innah Disco Style and Never Stop Fighting, between 1980 and 1982. In 1983, he began the year with two big hits, “Yo Yo” and “Lend Me A Chopper”, and later in the year enjoyed further success with “Water Pumping”, an adaptation of Hopeton Lewis’ “Take It Easy”, which had also served as the basis for Johnny Clarke’s 1976 hit “Rockers Time Now”.

The hits continued with “Get Cracking”, “Check For You”, “Rewind” (1984), “Buddy Bye”, “No Sound Like We” and “In The Area” (1985). In the late 1980s he was particularly successful when recording for Bobby Digital, and had hits with “Good Time Rock” (1988) and “Rude Boy Skank” (1988), both of which are included on his 1989 album, Rougher Than Them.

Throughout the 80s he continued to record for Coxsone Dodd, and singles included “Keep That Light”, “Unity” and “A We Run Things”, but a long-promised second album from Dodd did not materialized.

Now the stars are aligned once again, and living legend is making a comeback in 2023. In a career spanning more than half a century, it’s like he’s had several lives: a privileged witness to the evolution of Jamaican music, he witnessed the birth of Reggae, Dancehall and then Digital. His career, punctuated by numerous hits such as the classic Truth and Right, began in the 1960s and has never stopped evolving.

In 2012 Osbourne did a festival tour on which he demonstrated his legendary stage presence. At the same time, he remains in the air of time and collaborates with big names of the moment like CHINESE MAN on the track Independent Music or with MAJOR LAZER on Jah No Partial.

For 2023, it is with a new album that he signs his great return! Produced by Baco Records and in close collaboration with musician STEPPER, this new project will thrill reggae aficionados.

The two artists have known each other through numerous dates together and have naturally become friends. When STEPPER decided to let JOHNNY OSBOURNE listen to some of his demos, it immediately struck a chord with this reggae tenor.

That’s how they started to create “RIGHT TIGHT TIME”  composed of original tracks and revisited classics, surrounded by the best of the musicians who make up the FRENCH CONNECTION BAND!

STEPPER also called on MAEL , LOEIZ and DANION to co-produce the album.  The result is delightful: 10 tracks with sunny, catchy melodies, 10 tracks whose lyrics and JOHNNY OSBOURNE’s explosive energy manage to carry us along on an ultra-positive wave!

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