George Nooks

George Nooks (born c. 1958), also known as Prince Mohamed or Prince Mohammed, is a Jamaican reggae singer who began his career as a deejay. He started performing in his church youth choir and at school concerts before recording professionally in 1974. Performing under the name Prince Mohamed, he gained recognition on discomix tracks for producer Joe Gibbs, notably on Dennis Brown’s hits “Money in My Pocket” and “How Could I Leave,” as well as “Light Up Your Spliff” for Prince Tony Robinson. He worked with other producers including Alvin Ranglin and Bunny Riley, releasing his first album in 1978, a collaboration with General Echo titled People Are You Ready.

Transitioning from deejaying to singing, Nooks released his first solo album Today in 1981 and continued to develop his vocal style, often compared to Dennis Brown. He achieved success with tracks like “Forty Legs Dread” and a vocal rendition of Little Roy’s “Tribal War”, as well as covers of Errol Dunkley songs. Over the years, he recorded both under his real name and as Prince Mohamed, including collaborations with June Lodge, Glen Washington, Roland Burrell, Singing Melody, and Lukie D. He also contributed to Augustus Pablo’s and Horace Andy’s albums and recorded with multiple prominent reggae labels.

Since the early 1990s, Nooks has been prolific as both a singer and producer, running his own Total Records label. His 1996 single “Real Man” reached number 55 on the Billboard R&B Singles Sales chart, and his 2016 album Ride Out Your Storm reached number 4 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and number 22 on the Gospel chart. Following the death of his grandmother in 2001, he focused mainly on gospel material. In 2022, he won the ABGMA Collaboration-Duo of the Year Award with Dingy Danejah, solidifying his long-standing influence in reggae and gospel music.