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Biography

'''Darrin Kenneth O'Brien (born October 30, 1969), better known by his stage name Snow , is a Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year|Juno Award -winning Canada|Canadian reggae musician . He is best known for his 1992 single " Informer (song)|Informer ", which reached No. 1 on the United States of America|U.S. Billboard Hot 100 .Billboard (Retrieved March 03, 2010)

Life and work

Snow was born and raised in the North York district of Toronto , Ontario . For much of his childhood, he lived in the Allenbury Gardens public housing , and at the age of 16 moved to Ajax, Ontario . Growing up in a diverse neighbourhood, O'Brien blended dancehall and reggae with rock and popular music to create his own unique style of music. In 1988, Jamaican-born DJ Marvin Prince witnessed O'Brien deejaying at a party and quickly, the two became friends. For the next few years, they practiced in Prince's basement with Snow providing vocals and Prince Turntablism|scratching the turntables . While on a trip to New York City, Prince mentioned Snow to rap star M.C. Shan . Shan then invited Snow to New York and introduced him to music producers, David Eng and Steve Salem. Snow eventually signed a contract to record on their Motorjam/ Elektra Records|Elektra record label and in 1993 in music|1993 released his debut album 12 Inches of Snow .Snow's early background is provided by SNOW in 12 Inches of Snow, VHS (New York: A-Vision, 1993); SNOW, DVD, (Toronto: EMI Virgin Canada, 2003); and testimony from O'Brien, M.C. Shan and Prince is taken from Prince V. O'Brien, see: http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case? case=13886394386652351580& q=Prince+v.+O%27BRIEN,+256+AD2d+208& hl=en& as_sdt=100000000000002& as_vis=1For further biographical information, see Dennis Hunt, "A Hot Reggae Artist Named Snow," Los Angeles Times, 25 March 1993, 10C; Mary Talbot with Jennifer Boeth, "A Blizzard Headed Our Way," Newsweek, 29 March 1993, 47; and Anne Trebbe, "Hard Core Jamaican Style Rap is Snow's Business," USA Today, 1 April 1993, 3d.

While Snow served prison time for an assault charge, M.C. Shan, David Eng, Steve Salem, and Marvin Prince promoted the recordings.For another source see, account of Prince introducing Snow to Shan, and Shan producing the album with Prince Promoting it, see 12 Inches of Snow , VHS (New York: A-Vision, 1993).

Years after Snow departed Prince and worked closely with David Kenneth Eng, Prince filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for discovering Snow and promoting his album. In 1999, a Toronto court overturned Prince's claims, citing he had "no viable claims" for compensation. See: Betsey Powell, "Snow Vindicated: Court Overturns 1.5 Million Judgement," Toronto Star , 21 January 1999, 1.See Prince v. O'brien, 256 AD 2d 208 1998 683 NY 2d 504 http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case? case=13886394386652351580& q=Prince+v.+O%27Brien,+234+A.D.2d& hl=en& as_sdt=100000000000002& as_vis=1
Upon his release from prison, Snow's first single " Informer (song)|Informer ", written by Snow, M.C. Shan, and Edmond Leary,According to the official credits, Darrin O'Brien, M.C. Shan, and Edmond Leary officially wrote Informer. See 12 Inches of Snow , CD (New York: East-West Records, 1993). Years later, after Snow and Prince had their falling out, Prince unsuccessfully sued Snow for compensation. See Betsey Powell, "Snow Vindicated: Court Overturns 1.5 Million Judgement," Toronto Star , 21 January 1999, 1. became a Chart-topper|chart-topping hit. The album sold over 8 million records worldwide, with the "Informer" single remaining number 1 on the American Billboard charts for seven consecutive weeks. "Informer" has been recorded twice in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best selling reggae single in US history, as well as the highest charting reggae single in history. A second single, "Girl I've Been Hurt", reached Number 19 on the Hot 100.For the Guinness Book of World Records, see: Mark Young and Chris McWhirter, The Guinness Book of Records 1999 (Guinness Records, 1998), 236-237. See Mike Ross, "Snow Alert," Jam, 14 October 2000. Available Online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Snow/2000/10/14/749728.html. Accessed 14 September 2010. For a synopsis of the success of Informer see, http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/snow/495020 In Japan, Snow received the Recording Industry Association of Japan 's 1994 Gold Disc Award for Best New Artist.See: RIAJ Certification Awards, www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gdlist/pdf/gd1-20_list.pdf (Accessed 3 November 2010).

Origin of Stage Name

As Prime Minister (Canada)|Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau continued reforming Immigration Act, 1976|immigration policies , instituting social reforms, and promoting multiculturalism in Canada , a larger influx of Jamaicans immigrated into the greater Toronto area.For a brief overview of Jamaican immigration and identity, see: T. A. Jones, "Race, Place, and Social Mobility of Jamaicans in Toronto," in Frazier, John W., ed. and Edward, Joe T. The African Diaspora in the United States and Canada at the Dawn of the 21st Century (New York: SUNY University, 2009), 80-86. One of Snow's neighboring Jamaican families, the Browns, first introduced the teenager to reggae and began calling him "Snow" and "Snow White." With the help of his neighbors, Snow began borrowing and ordering reggae dub tapes to perform over. After befriending Marvin Prince, Prince began referring to Snow with a phrased backronym meaning "Superb Notorious Outrageous Whiteboy." Snow himself, however, never claimed the name and simply continued to perform with the stage name of Snow.Bill Delingatt, "Shoveling Snow with DKO," Cashbox Magazine , 2 October 2009, 1. The origin of Snow's stage name is also a central issue in the legal battle between Marvin Prince and Darrin O'Brien. See the following court documents: Prince v. O'brien, 256 AD 2d 208 1998 683 NY 2d 504. Also available online: http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case? case=13886394386652351580& q=Prince+v.+O%27Brien,+234+A.D.2d& hl=en& as_sdt=100000000000002& as_vis=1

Legal dispute over production of 12 Inches of Snow

While touring as Snow's DJ in December 1994, Marvin Prince abruptly left the tour after discovering Snow, according to court documents, "was receiving more money from management than he was." While listed as only the co-writer of the song Runway on the 12 Inches of Snow album, Prince claimed to have co-written five songs and co-produced the album with Shan, Eng, and Salem. Furthermore, Prince alleged in court that Eng and Salem provided "a draft of a multi-album production and recording agreement" for both Snow and himself. Unable to understand the contract, Prince allegedly "sent a copy to his mother to get legal advice from her friend" and "never saw the agreement again." Moreover, Prince claimed to have entered an "oral agreement" with Snow implying that the two would share profits from the album "fifty-fifty." The first agreement, Prince alleged, occurred "in 1990, when the two men began working together on songs in Prince's basement and he "allegedly suggested to" Snow, "if something comes out of this, let's be partners." The second oral agreement, according to Prince, took place in August 1991 while Snow auditioned for Shan. While Snow frequently referred to Prince as his partner in promotional videos, he claimed to have used the term "only in the slang sense." Prince, moreover, "admitted that these discussions were not concrete; the parties never organized a formal business plan, nor was plaintiff in New York to advance defendant's career."See O'Brien v. Prince, http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case? case=13886394386652351580& q=Prince+v.+O%27BRIEN,+256+AD2d+208& hl=en& as_sdt=100000000000002& as_vis=1

Shan, Eng, and Salem testified that they were unaware of a partnership between Snow and Prince, and Shan denied that Prince co-produced 12 Inches of Snow and co-wrote the five songs in question. While initially winning a $1.5 million judgment, the court overturned the original ruling and dismissed Prince's suit on grounds that he had "no viable claims" to a partnership with Snow.See: Betsey Powell, "Snow Vindicated: Court Overturns 1.5 Million Judgement," Toronto Star , 21 January 1999, 1.

International success

In the mid 1990s, Snow's executive producer David Kenneth Eng broadened his artistic horizons and deepened his personal and spiritual roots by establishing a base in Asia. Eng included Snow as part of this expansion, leading the Canadian artist into a new market.See David Kenneth Eng's personal website: http://davidkennetheng.com/More_About_DK_Eng.html. Accessed 14 September 2010. As a follow-up to 12 Inches of Snow , Snow recorded his second album Murder Love in Jamaica, Canada, and New York. While not a commercial success in North America, the album featured Snow performing with reggae and dancehall legends Ninjaman , Junior Reid , Half Pint , Buju Banton , Beenie Man , Dave Kelly (producer)|Dave Kelly , and Sly and Robbie .See Peter Howell, "Pop," The Toronto Star, 25 February 1995, K14; For Collaborations, see the credits for: Snow, Murder Love , CD, (New York: East/West, 1995). The " Anything for You (Snow song)|Anything for You " remix became a club favorite and, according to Billboard 's Elena Oumano, made Snow a figure of respect on the Jamaican music scene.For the Billboard article, see: Elena Omanu, "Snow Displays Versatiliy, Growth on Justuss," Billboard , 14 December 1996, 9.For an example of the continued popularity of "Anything For You," see Andre Jebbinson, "Mellow Vibes, Musice and Crowd," Jamaica Gleaner News, 2 May 2006. Indeed, "Anything For You" became the top-selling single in Jamaica in 1995 and " Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We " also reached the number one slot in Jamaica.Jamaican sales and charting data for "Anything For You" can be found in Kevin O'Brien Chang and Wayne Chen, Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican music (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998), 211.Jamaican charting data for "Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We" can be found in Pace (Johannesburg : Pace-Maker, 1995), 41. Murder Love proved to be a popular album in Asia, with the single " Sexy Girl (Snow song)|Sexy Girl " remaining on Japan's Top Singles chart for 16 weeks, ultimately reaching number one.See Japan charts for February 1995, with "Sexy Girl" reaching number one and remaining on the charts for 16 weeks.For an online source see Super B.P.M Charts Tokyo at: http://www.sound.jp/tnsn/az/tokio-bpm_f.html The success of Murder Love allowed Snow to tour Asia and collaborate with Thai rap artist Joey Boy . In 1996, Eng created Dimsum Entertainment, producing Joey Boy's album Fun, Fun, Fun . Ultimately, Snow performed on the chart-topping Thai single "Fun, Fun, Fun" and appeared in the music video. Joey Boy returned the favor by appearing on Snow's Thai single Me and Joey . In 2008, Snow also featured Joey Boy on the track "Catch a Kick."For more on Joey Boy and Snow, see "Joey Boy Has Fun With Snow," Billboard, 23 November 1996, 67.

That same year, Snow collaborated with Cyndi Lauper on Junior Vasquez's Homegrown and Sly and Robbie's Pop Goes the Dancehall remix of Girls Just Want to Have Fun (retitled Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun) ). By the end of 1996, Murder Love 's Si We Dem Nuh Know We received a Juno Awards of 1996|Juno nomination for Best Reggae Recording. Overall, the album produced three music videos: Anything for You (Snow song)|Anything For You , Anything For You (All Star Cast Remix) , and Sexy Girl . In the film , Snow appears performing Rivertown .For a collection of Snow's videos, see the VHS video: The Greatest Hits of Snow (Tokyo: East West Japan, 1998).

Snow followed up Murder Love with an album named after his daughter, Justuss . The first single " Boom Boom Boogie " took Asia by storm, achieving gold status with the music video appearing on MTV Japan five to six times a day. Released in the United States and Canada in 1997, the single If This World Were Mine failed to chart but the video regularly appeared on The Box (US TV channel)|The Box . The album reached number 12 on the U.S. reggae charts and in 1998 was nominated for Best Reggae album at the Juno_Awards_of_1998#Best_Reggae.2FCalypso_Recording|Juno Awards in Vancouver, British Columbia.Elena Omanu, "Snow Displays Versatility, Growth on Justuss," Billboard , 14 December 1996, 9. In late 1997, Snow released a Greatest Hits compilation, called "The Greatest Hits of Snow."See Stephanie Thomas Erlewine of the All Music guide at: Accessed 14 September 2010.For “If This World Were Mine” on The Box, see: “Video Monitor,” Billboard, May 17 1997, 73.

In 1999, Snow reunited with M.C. Shan, producing the album Cooler Conditions in Japan. The only single, "The Plumb Song", spent eight weeks on the Japan Singles chart, peaking at number 27.Japan (Tokyo) Charts, July 1999 for 27 weeks.

Return to the Canadian charts

In 2000, Snow released Mind on the Moon . The single " Everybody Wants to Be Like You " landed Snow back on the Canadian Singles chart and earned him three Juno nominations.see Mike Bell, "Snow Storm Returns," Jam!, 13 February 2002. Available online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Snow/2001/02/13/749727.htmlSee Mike Ross, "Snow Alert," Jam, 14 October 2000. Available Online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Snow/2000/10/14/749728.html. Accessed 14 September 2010

In 2002, Snow worked with Shaggy (musician)|Shaggy and Blu Cantrell 's producer to record Two Hands Clapping . " Legal (song)|Legal ", the first single, reached #13 on the Canadian Singles Chart .For more on "Two Hands Clapping," see Gwen Michael, "Snow Dreams it All Up Again," Jam, 19 November 2002. Available online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Snow/2002/11/19/749720.html; Karen Bliss, "Snow Cuts Demo With Blu Cantrell," Jam, 10 October 2001. Available online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/C/Cantrell_Blu/2001/10/10/743745.html; and Paul Cantin, "Snow: Snow Working with Shaggy's Producers," Jam, 11 February 2002. Available online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Snow/2002/02/11/749725.html. Accessed 14 September 2010.

Snow today

In November 2009, Snow's common law wife and the subject of many of his songs, Tamei Edberg, was diagnosed with cancer; she died later that month on November 27, 2009. In June, Snow held a fundraiser called "ClosURE For Cancer."See "ClosURE For Cancer Fundraiser," Snap North Toronto. Available online at: http://www.snapnorthtoronto.com/index.php? option=com_sngevents& id=183562. Accessed 14 September 2010. Snow also started his own non-governmental organization called "Pure Snow NGO," which assists "tenants living in non-profit housing". Periodically, Snow releases new songs from his site and over the internet.See "Pure Snow NGO." Available online at: http://puresnowngo.com/snowNGO.html. Accessed 14 September 2010.

Television and film appearances

Drew Carey , a long time Snow fan, had Snow record a reggae version of Drew Carey Show|The Drew Carey Show theme song, "Moon Over Parma", for the series' eighth and ninth seasons.See Jim Slotek, "Expect Snow on Drew Carey," Jam, 20 September 2002. Available online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/D/Drew_Carey_Show/2002/09/20/734583.html. Accessed 14 September 2010.

In 2001, Snow played a prison guard in the film Prison Song .See Karen Bliss, "Snow to Star in De Niro Film," Jam, 28 October 1999. Available online at: http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Snow/1999/10/28/749729.html. Accessed 14 September 2010.

Ethnicity and Canadian identity

In Ethnicity, Politics, and Public Policy: Case Studies in Canadian Diversity , Rebecca J. Haines examined Snow as a symbol of Canadian ethnic identity. Instead of hiding his "whiteness" and "Canadian-ness," Haines argues, Snow proudly boasts of his Irish people|Irish heritage and traces his reggae roots to the diverse community of Allenbury. While other artists, such as Snoop Dogg , don a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey jersey|jersey because of its resemblance to cannabis, "in the video for his single Anything For You, shot on location in Jamaica, the white Canadian reggae artist Snow is seen wearing the same jersey (Maple Leafs), perhaps in an attempt to proclaim his Canadian roots among the all black cast of this video".Rebecca J. Haines, "Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture in Canada," in Ethnicity, Politics, and Public Policy: case studies in Canadian diversity, Eds., Harold Martin Trooper and Morton Weinfield, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999): 65-66 and 72.

Despite Snow's Canadian roots and unique path to reggae music, many reggae purists viewed him, along with Ini Kamoze , Diana King , Shaggy (musician)|Shaggy and Shabba Ranks , as another example of "watered down" commercial reggae that rose to international popularity in the 1990s.Kevin O'Brien Chang and Wayne Chen, Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican music (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998), 6-8. The sketch comedy show In Living Color , parodied Imposter featuring Jim Carrey as Snow.Carrey's parody can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Icb_tRTnA4g (accessed 30 October 2010)

In 1996, WBLS New York disc jockey Pat McKay observed, "purists have a problem with a non-Jamaican doing reggae. But I choose to think of it as the greatest compliment to reggae culture, and Snow is a genuine, dedicated artist. He has a fine singing voice, he's a great writer, and he very generously includes other artists in in all of his work. His authenticity amplifies the realities of his generation, and his sensitivity conjures up intimacy with all of his love songs."Elena Omanu, "Snow Displays Vesatility, Growth on Justuss, Billboard, 14 December 1996, 9.

Discography

Year	Album	Chart positions Billboard.com					Certifications
Year	Album	U.S.	U.S. R& B	U.S. Reggae	CAN RPM	JAP For Murder Love's peak position in Japan, see: http:/ / www.geocities.jp/ object_ori/ 950327a.html	Certifications
1993	12 Inches of Snow Released: April 27, 1993 Label: East West Records	5	12	4	3	-	Recording Industry Association of America\|US : Platinumcite web	url=http:/ / riaa.com/ goldandplatinumdata.php? resultpage=1& table=SEARCH_RESULTS& action=& title=& artist=Snow%& format=album& debutLP=& category=& sex=& releaseDate=& requestNo=& type=& level=& label=& company=& certificationDate=& awardDescription=& catalogNo=& aSex=& rec_id=& charField=& gold=& platinum=& multiPlat=& level2=& certDate=& album=& id=& after=& before=& startMonth=1& endMonth=1& startYear=1958& endYear=2010& sort=CertificationDate& perPage=50	title=Snow Album Certifications	work= Recording Industry Association of America	accessdate=11-04-2010 Canadian Recording Industry Association\|CAN : 3× Platinum Canadian Recording Industry Association
1995	Murder Love Released: February 21, 1995 Label: East West Records	-	-	1	-	14	Recording Industry Association of Japan\|JAP : MillionFor album sales in Japan, see online charting data from 1995 at: http://www.geocities.jp/object_ori/1995cd.html (accessed 3 November 2010
1997	Justuss Released: January 14, 1997 Label: East West Records	-	-	12	-	-
1999	Cooler Conditions Released: September 28, 1999 Label: JVC	-	-	-	-	-
2000	Mind on the Moon Released: August 15, 2000 Label: EMI	-	-	-	61	-
2002	Two Hands Clapping Released: November 26, 2002 Label: Virgin Music	-	-	-	-	-

Compilations

Year	Album	Chart positions			Certifications
Year	Album	U.S.	U.S. R& B	U.S. Reggae	Certifications
1997	The Greatest Hits of Snow Released: October 21, 1997 Label: East West Records	-	-	-
1998	Best Remix of Snow Released: June 24, 1998 Label: East West Japan	-	-	-

Singles

Year	Title	Peak positions									Album
Year	Title	AUS	CAN cite web	IRE	NED	NZ	SWE	UK	U.S.	U.S. R& B	Album
1993	Informer "	1	9	1	2	1	1	2	1	10	12 Inches of Snow
	" Girl I've Been Hurt "	26	28	20	28	17	37	48	19	78
	"Uhh in You"	—	—	—	—	—	—	67	—	—
1994	" Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We " (feat. Ninjaman & Junior Reid )	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Murder Love
1995	Sexy Girl "	—	80	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Murder Love
1997	" Boom Boom Boogie "	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Justuss
1997	Anything for You (All Star Cast Remix)" (feat. Nadine Sutherland )	—	74	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Justuss
1999	"Someday Somehow"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Cooler Conditions
2000	" Everybody Wants to Be Like You "	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Cooler Conditions & Mind on the Moon
	"Jimmy Hat"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"The Plumb Song"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2001	"Joke Thing"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Mind on the Moon
2001	"Nothin' on Me"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Mind on the Moon
2002	Legal "	—	13	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Two Hands Clapping
2003	"That's My Life" (feat. Jelleestone)—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Two Hands Clapping
2008	"Just 4 U" (feat. Kobra Khan)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	non-album single
2009	"Adore You"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	non-album single

Awards and Nominations

Juno Awards
|-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|1994
| Informer (song)|Informer
| Juno_Awards_of_1994#Best_Reggae_Recording|Best Reggae Recording
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|1994
| Snow (musician)|Snow
| Juno_Awards_of_1994#Best_Male_Vocalist|Best Male Vocalist
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|1994
| 12 Inches of Snow
| Juno_Awards_of_1994#Best_Album|Best Album
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|1996
| Si Wi Dem Nuh Know We
| Juno_Awards_of_1996#Best_Reggae_Recording|Best Reggae Recording
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|1998
| Justuss
| Juno_Awards_of_1998#Best_Reggae.2FCalypso_Recording|Best Reggae Recording
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|2001
| Snow (musician)|Snow
| Juno_Awards_of_2001#Best_Male_Artist|Best Male Artist
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|2001
| Snow (musician)|Snow /Patterson
| Juno_Awards_of_2001#Best_Songwriter|Best Song Writer
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|2001
| Mind on the Moon|Mind On the Moon
| Juno_Awards_of_2001#Best_Pop_Album|Best Pop Album
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|2002
| Cooler_Conditions#Reception|The Plumb Song
| Juno_Awards_of_2002#Best_Video|Best Video
||-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|2003
| Two Hands Clapping
| Juno_Awards_of_2003#Reggae_Recording_of_the_Year|Best Reggae Recording
|
Recording Industry Association of Japan
|-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|1994
| Snow (musician)|Snow
| Best New Recording ArtistFor nomination and award, see riaj infor at: www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gdlist/pdf/gd1-20_list.pdf (Accessed 3 November 2010).
|
Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada Video Award
|-
| rowspan="1" align="center"|2001
| Everybody Wants to Be Like You
| Much Music Top Video"Songwriters and Publishers," Billboard , 10 February 2001, 48.
|

Copyright Citations

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