On July 26, 1972, Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer/songwriter Von Wayne Charles, better known as Wayne Wonder, was born in Buff Bay, Portland, Jamaica.

While he started his career with recordings of reggae and dancehall, he developed his music towards hip-hop and rap genres over time. He had his most popular single with “No Letting Go’ in 2003.

Born Von Wayne Charles in Buff Bay, the artist known professionally as Wayne Wonder was a singer in his Sunday school as a child and started writing his own songs at the early age of 13. His came to the public’s attention when he received a regular weekly position at Metro Media in Allman Town. He auditioned at Sonic Sounds studio, impressing Sly Dunbar with his talent, but because of commitments to touring with Black Uhuru, wonder could not be signed with the label. He achieved success with the production of his first single produced by King Tubby in 1985, which was entitled “Long and Lasting Love.” Wonder and King Tubby had two more hits, but when the producer was killed in 1988, Wonder’s career suffered a setback. He then moved on to Sonic Sound, however, and had a hit with “It’s Over Now” produced by Lloyd Dennis. This led to the release of Wonder’s first album “No More Chance.”

Wonder launched his own label in 2000 called Singso, He recorded the album “Da Vibe” under this label in 2000, incorporating hip-hop style into his music and collaborating with other artists like Jason Dalyrimple of Soul for Real, Foxy Brown, and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. He moved further toward the hip-hop genre with the album “Schizophrenic” in 2001 and signed on with Atlantic Records, gaining worldwide recognition. He received a major global career boost with the Atlantic signing and had major success with his song “No Letting Go” in 2003.  The single and its album “No Holding Back’ received heavy airplay in the United States, which led to the release of other albums featuring his material, including “Inna Bashmennt Style” for Trojan Records.

Wonder had a significant role in the successful career of major dancehall artist Buju Banton. The two recorded a duet and toured internationally together. Wonder suffered a setback in his own career when Banton decided to go solo and signed with Mercury Records, which as based in the US.

Wonder was featured on the 2014 recording of “Never Mind” by the Buzzcocks.