b. Dorothy Smith, 22 November 1972, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. A DJ, singer and hopeful actor widely touted/hyped as the female equivalent of Shabba Ranks, Patra (formerly Lady Patra) signed to the same management, under the aegis of Clifton ‘Specialist’ Dillon, in 1989. She also shares the same record company, Epic. Accordingly, with the new, commercial expectations placed on her shoulders, her material has moved from strict dancehall to include smooth love songs. Patra was brought up singing in churches in Westmoreland, where she moved from Kingston at an early age. Her ambition as a child was always evident, and she soon entered neighbourhood singing/DJing competitions in high school. Early supporters, who included Major Mackerel, encouraged her to return to Kingston and try her luck in the studios. Gussie Clarke was the first to ‘voice’ her after she had been declined by several others. Such rejections were only a short-term problem, however. Following the sessions with Clarke she found herself in demand by Shocking Vibes, Exterminator and several others. Sides like ‘Holler Fe The Wok’, Visa Hole’, ‘Man Me Love’ and ‘Worky Worky’ showcased her considerable talents. On the back of this moderate success she played her first major show at the Sting ’88 celebrations. By the time the deal with Epic was struck, Patra’s singing voice had taken precedence over her DJ skills, as highlighted by the single ‘Sweet Memories’, the first product of new sessions (though it was actually released by Tachyon’s Sonny Ochai). Curiously, it rose to number 1 in the Japanese reggae charts, but Epic will surely demand more concrete domestic success in return for their investment.

Source – Encyclopedia of Popular Music