Goldie (there are at least two versions of how he got his name: one is that it dates from his time as a Rastafarian, because of his hair color; the other, also that it derives from Goldilocks, bestowed by his mother, because as a child he was always stealing; he claims that it is his only name on his passport and credit cards) was the son of a Jamaican father and Scottish mother. His parents separated when he was very young and he spent his childhood in a succession of foster homes and children's homes in the English West Midlands, during which time he was abused.
He became a gifted graffiti artist and breakdancer, then went into jungle music. In the late 80s he spent several years in the USA. He made his first record (Terminator) in 1993, followed by the albums Timeless (1995), Saturn Returnz (1998), and is currently (1999) recognized as the world's foremost and most innovative jungle musician.
In late 1998 he was the subject of a UK Channel 4 documentary in which he was reunited with his birth and foster parents.