He is only 19 years old, has been in the music business only two years, yet he has accomplished in his career what others before him have failed to do.
Albert Richards, aka Alley Cat, the most recent Shocking Vibes signee, and one of the most powerful stage performers in the crew, has performed in Paris, Holland, London, Trinidad, Guyana Barbados, and Grand Cayman to large and appreciative audiences and is set to tour USA and Canada in the summer.
The former Kingston College and Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive High School student said that he always wanted to be a star even as a toddler! "I was always involved in everything," he said with a boyish grin.
In 1994, while still in school, Richards said he put aside sports (he was a member of KC's Pepsi under 14 team and under 16 Colts) to begin a deejay career. He actually recorded his first song, "Sododmity," while in 10th grade at T.G.C.H.S. According - to Alley Cat, when he voiced that song he still was not really mature as a dj, so he spent most of the year just getting acquainted with entertainers and producers and performing at 'little corner shows.
His career took a swift turn when he became acquainted with Wayne Wonder and Buju Banton who Richards said did him the honours of mentioning his name on their dub plate specials. He said he followed this up by voicing combination specials which helped to spread his name. He also gave credit to Stone Love and Swatch disco which he said a great deal in boosting his career by playing some of his his songs that had not yet been recorded.
Alley Cat finally hit big times in December 1994. While rehearsing one day with Flex band (Now Shiloh), Alley Cat said Gary, Shocking Vibes engineer, heard him deeiaying a tune called "Fugitive" which he immediately asked him to voice. "But that tune didn't reach anywhere," Alley Cat said probably because myvoice didn't sound too mature."
Cat said he spent most of his time just building his voice and taking the business seriously. It paid off, because currently riding the airwaves are his "Girls Tour", "Hot Gal", Bow Game,' and 'BMW'. He | has other songs which are yet to be released on the Cell Block and Madhouse labels. His most recent local performance , proved that Alley Cat is on his way to becoming a major contender in the deejay field. He has also performed to favourable responses at Cactus nightclub.
Alley Cat sees himself as an example to other young and upcoming artistes and sends them this message "Stay in school, leave out the guns and violence and always remember the almighty by praying"