It was 1994 and a sultry song titled Practice What You Preach topped the United States pop chart and gave Barry White a huge comeback hit. One year later, a reggae version introduced a little-known singer named Mikey Spice to dancehall fans.

Reflecting on his breakthrough hit 30 years later, Mikey Spice credits the Barry O’Hare-produced Practice What You Preach for keeping him busy.

“It’s done a lot. I have frequent meals, I live somewhere, I have clothes on my back, my kids are fed,” he joked in an interview with Observer Online. “It was a good one, I didn’t expect it, as a matter of fact, but it came and we accepted it.”

Known for a distinctive baritone, Mikey Spice is scheduled to perform on October 11 at the Crown Hill Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. The following day, he has a gig at the Prestige Palace in Freeport, Long Island.

Prior to Practice What You Preach, Mikey Spice made his name as a singer/multi-instrumentalist on the North Coast hotel scene, which was then a stomping ground for emerging musicians like singer/bassist Benjy Myaz and drummer Paul Kastick.

He connected with O’Hare, who was based in Ocho Rios, where he was the go-to studio engineer for artistes such as Burning Spear, Buju Banton, Diana King and Daweh Congo. Practice What You Preach was the first big as a producer for O’Hare, who died in 2020.

Mikey Spice had a big follow-up in late 1995 with Born Again, produced by Bobby Digital. Since then, he has consistently made the charts with songs like Grab yu Lass (with Louie Culture) and a cover of Neil Diamond’s I Am I Said.

— Howard Campbell