Tapper was the nickname given to him by his grandmother in his adolescence, while Zukie was a name that came from his friends' association as a young boy; their gang was called 'The Zukies'.[1]
In 1973 his mother, concerned with Zukie's tendency to get into trouble, sent him to England to stay with some relatives.[1] Producer Bunny Lee arranged with the UK-based entrepreneur Larry Lawrence for him to undertake some sound recording sessions and concerts, and he opened for U-Roy the day after his arrival in London.[1] Zukie's first release was the single "Jump & Twist", produced by Lawrence.[1] Around this time he also recorded material for Clem Bushay, which were released on the Man Ah Warrior album, issued in 1973.[2]
Zukie returned to Jamaica, cutting "Judge I Oh Lord" for Lloydie Slim and "Natty Dread Don't Cry" for Lee.[2] After an argument with Lee that resulted in the police being called, the two made peace with Lee giving Zukie some riddims to record over, and taking these and others from Joseph Hoo Kim, he toasted over them at King Tubby's studio. These recordings were issued on the album MPLA , released in 1976 and titled as a dedication to the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, who had fought against the Portuguese Army in the Angolan War of Independence.[1][2]
The Man Ah Warrior album had gained Zukie a cult following in the United Kingdom, and he returned there in 1975, releasing the track "MPLA" as a single, which was sufficiently successful for Klik to issue the album of the same name in the UK. The bass line and rhythm of the track "MPLA" was based on the Rhythm and blues song "Freedom Blues" by Little Richard, a song which had gained popularity in the sound system community due to Coxsone Dodd's version of the record with Roy Richards on the vocal.[2] The MPLA album versions highly regarded Bunny Lee and King Tubby’s engineered and produced tunes by Johnny Clarke, Tony Brevett, Cornell Campbell, Dennis Brown, and Junior Ross and the Spear. One notable fan of MPLA was proto punk artist Patti Smith, who gave Zukie a support slot on her UK tour, reissued Man a Warrior on her Mer record label, and contributed sleeve-notes to his 1977 album Man From Bosrah.[1][2]
Reviewing the 1977 reissue of Man a Warrior, Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said: "Dub has certain affinities with heavy metal, which may be why the only album of the stuff I've ever played much is Big Youth's first, Screaming Target, now five years old and never released in the States. Ace discophile Lenny Kaye has compiled this set from the same period, which means that the mix is less volcanic than in recent dub, the vocals more buoyant. Zukie's is fresh enough to really enjoy putting a rap down, too, so he doesn't sound doombound, verbally or musically. Sample segue: from 'Simpleton Badness' to 'Archie the Rednose Reindeer.'"[3]
This period of success allowed Zukie to set up his own 'Stars' record label, and he began to produce other artists, including Junior Ross & The Spear, Prince Alla, Errol Dunkley, Ronnie Davis, and Horace Andy.[1] Two dub albums emerged in 1977: Escape From Hell and Tapper Zukie In Dub.
A deal with Virgin Records subsidiary Frontline saw the release of two further albums in 1978 - Peace In The Ghetto and Tapper Roots, while he also continued to release records on his Stars label in Jamaica. The album Peace In The Ghetto was notable for its version of Cornell Campbell's tune,"Blessed Are They", a lyrical take on Beatitudes, which Tapper Zukie reworked as a memorial and paean to the anti-Apartheid revolutionary martyr, Steve Biko, killed in a prison cell in 1977 by the racist South African police force.
In 1978 he scored a big hit with "Oh Lord", which spent six weeks on top of the Jamaican charts. Also popular that summer was "She Want a Phensic".[1]
In the mid-1980s, Zukie was more prolific as a producer, working with artists such as The Mighty Diamonds, Sugar Minott, and Max Romeo.[1] In 1986 he released a new album of his own, Raggamuffin.[1] He continued to concentrate on production, although another album was released in 1996, Deep Roots. In 1995, Steve Barrow's Blood and Fire (record label) re-issued Tappa Zukie in Dub, introducing his work to a new audience.[1]
After suffering a "diabetic episode" in October 2015, Zukie was out of the public eye until he performed at a concert in December 2018.[4] He stated in January 2019 that he was recording a new album and planned to perform in Europe in the summer.[4]
