Jah Cutta scores first #1, teases album and tour plans

Jah Cutta, born Carlton Williams in Yallahs, St Thomas, has scored his first-ever #1 on the Reggae North Canadian Top 20 chart with his reggae cover of Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You).” Reggae North headlined the achievement and the Jamaica Observer reported the new #1 on February 19, 2026, marking a milestone in a career media outlets describe as spanning over 40 years.

The single is credited as produced by a Montreal-based company identified in some reports as Bee Rich Productions and in others as Be Rich Productions. Reggae North and the Jamaica Observer state, “How Sweet It Is is produced by Bee Rich Productions and included on the album Jah Cutta Sings Gold, which was released a year ago.” That account conflicts with an earlier Reggae Global Radio piece by Howard Campbell that called Jah Cutta Sings Gold the 12th album from the artist and said it “is scheduled for release in August,” indicating the reporting dates differ.

Williams has lived in Montreal for decades after leaving Jamaica at age 10 in the 1970s. He told reporters he has been singing for decades, saying, “It’s like a grader truck lift you up out of a pit and put you on solid ground. Mi say, yes, people finally a recognise the hard work that I have been putting in all these years. Is over 48 years mi a sing, and God never gave up on me. This is truly inspiring.” He also linked the song’s message to recent health struggles: “God see the emergencies that I have faced in my life, the hardships that I have been through over the years. I spent several months in the hospital and God pulled me through. This song was inspired by the blessings from the Almighty and all the obstacles that I have been through.”

Reggae Global Radio reported that recording sessions for Jah Cutta Sings Gold took place at the Marley-owned Tuff Gong studios in Kingston early this year and that the sessions included veteran Jamaican players Lloyd Parks on bass, Dwight Pinkney on guitar, Robbie Lyn on keyboards, and Dean Fraser on saxophone. That outlet also noted Robbie Lyn played on the original versions of “Pitta Patta” and “Tears on My Pillow,” and stated, “Pitta Patta was the first song released from the proposed album. It came out in February.”

The album’s tracklist cited across reports includes covers of Jamaican and soul classics such as Ernie Smith’s “Pitta Patta,” “Tears on My Pillow,” Otis Redding’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” Percy Sledge’s “My Special Prayer,” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Jah Cutta described the selections by saying, “These are songs I grow up on in Jamaica, and I thought it would be great to put my style to dem.”

Williams publicly thanked long-time supporter Tony Anthony and Reggae North Radio for backing his music, saying, “I have to big up Tony Anthony, him know mi from long time and him see the work that I have been putting in.” The conflicting accounts on the album’s release date and the producer’s spelling remain unresolved; Reggae Global Radio named Howard Campbell as author of its piece, while Reggae North and the Jamaica Observer presented the single as part of an album already available approximately a year before the Jamaica Observer’s February 19, 2026 report. Journalists and fans seeking exact release dates, the official production credit, and the Reggae North chart week for the #1 should expect confirmations from the label or artist to reconcile the differing reports.