 Born in Wolverhampton to Jamaican parents, as a child Macka B was first impressed by the reggae of the Lord Barley sound-system playing at a blues party next to his parents' house, but also played violin and sang in the choir at school.He went on to take a technical apprenticeship at the Ever Ready factory.When the factory closed and he was laid off, he began to devote more time to practising his toasting skills, influenced by earlier Jamaican toasters U-Roy, I-Roy, Big Youth, and especially Prince Far I.