Beckford gained recognition outside the church by winning one of journalist and radio presenter Vere Johns's talent contests at west Kingston's Majestic theatre.

In 1968 Beckford joined a neighbourhood reggae band, Soul Syndicate, but his high-pitched, nasal timbre and mento-influenced style did not fit with its focus.

Recorded with his band the Starlites (later credited as The Starlights), the song's mento-styled vocal bucked urban reggae trends and went straight to number one in the Jamaican charts.

[1] His biggest hit was the lewd "Soldering" (1975), banned by Jamaican radio, which prompted vinyl ripostes from Big Youth, I-Roy, and Jah Lloyd.

After royalty disputes with GG, Beckford, changed the name of his group to Stanley and the Turbines, switching to producer Barrington Jeffrey, at the Dynamic Sounds studio.

[2] In 2000 "Fi Wi Island A Boom" won the Jamaica festival song contest, this time credited to Beckford as a solo artist,[2] and he regularly performed with the Rod Dennis Mento Band at the Kingston Hilton.

The album and European tours gave Beckford a new audience; in France, he was compared to Compay Segundo of the Buena Vista Social Club and his success there led to the 2004 follow-up, Reggaemento, released by Warners.