|
The Congos
The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio with the addition of Watty Burnett (baritone) (b. early 1950s, Port Antonio, Jamaica), and have been active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They are best known for their '' Heart of the Congos'' album, recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry. History Myton had previously been a member of The Tartans in the late 1960s (along with Prince Lincoln Thompson, Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and Ras Michael's group, and had recorded with Thompson's Royal Rasses in the mid-1970s. He formed the Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, recording the single "At the Feast" for Lee "Scratch" Perry. Perry expanded the group to a trio with the addition of Burnett, this line-up recording the classic roots reggae album '' Heart o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roots Reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honouring of God, called Jah by Rastafarians.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 251-3 It is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer,Barrow, Steve and Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", Rough Guides, 1997 and the rural poor. Lyrical themes include spirituality and religion, struggles by artists, poverty, black pride, social issues, resistance to fascism, capitalism, corrupt government and racial oppression. A spiritual repatriation to Africa is a common theme in roots reggae. History The increasing influence of the Rastafari movement after the visit of Haile Selassie to Jamaica in 1966 played a major part in the development of roots reggae, with spiritual themes becoming more common in regg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Black Ark
The Black Ark was the recording studio of reggae and dub producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, built in 1973 and located behind his family's home in the Washington Gardens neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica. Despite the rudimentary set-up and dated equipment, it was nonetheless the breeding ground for some of Jamaica's most innovative sounds and recording techniques in the latter half of the 1970s. Innovative musical techniques From a technological standpoint, the Black Ark was at the low end in comparison to the international music recording standards of its day. The studio's legendary reputation stems from the innovative production techniques employed by Perry to create sounds that baffled his contemporaries, and which have continued to be a source of amazement to later generations of music producers. An example of Perry's inventive style was his ability to overdub layers of sound effects and instrumentation on each recording track of a basic 4-track machine, with such precise timi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horace Andy
Horace Andy (born Horace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as " Skylarking", as well as "Government Land", "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Man Army" with English trip hop group Massive Attack. He is also famous for a cover version of " Ain't No Sunshine". Andy is often described as one of the most respected and influential singers in Jamaica. Biography Early years Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Hinds recorded his first single, "This is a Black Man's Country," in 1967 for producer Phil Pratt. "This is a Black Man's Country" failed to make an impact, and it would be 1970 before he achieved a breakthrough. After unsuccessfully auditioning at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One as a duo along with Frank Melody, he successfully auditioned on his own a few days later. Dodd decided Hinds should record as Horace Andy, partly to capitalise on the popularity of Bob Andy, and partly to avoid compar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blood And Fire (record Label)
Blood and Fire was a British reggae record label active from 1993-2014, specialising in reissues of 1970s dub. History Steve Barrow, Bob Harding, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, Elliot Rashman and Andy Dodd formed the record label in Manchester in 1993 with the objective of reissuing roots reggae, dub and DJ albums with the integrity of jazz reissues.Meschino, Patricia (2014)VP Records Relaunches Classic Reggae Label Blood and Fire", ''Billboard'', 19 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014 In the process, Blood and Fire influenced the overall aesthetic of other labels issuing archival Jamaican recordings in the 1990s and beyond. The company logo and album covers were designed by Intro. Initial releases drew on mid-1970s Bunny Lee produced material but the label subsequently reissued material produced by Yabby You and Glen Brown along with the Lee "Scratch" Perry produced Congos set '' Heart of the Congos'' and a three-CD Big Youth set, '' Natty Universal Dread''. Despi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earl "Chinna" Smith
Earl "Chinna" Smith (born 6 August 1955), a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest,Johnson, Richard (2013)The Melchizedek way, ''Jamaica Observer'', 6 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013 is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late 1960s. He is most well known for his work with the Soul Syndicate band and as guitarist for Bob Marley & the Wailers, among others, and has recorded with many reggae artists, appearing on more than 500 albums. Biography Smith was born 6 August 1955, and raised by family friends in the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston.Katz, p. 116 His father and godfather were both sound system owners, his father's, ''Smith's'', operated by Bunny Lee. Earl tried to emulate them using a toy sound system, leading to his nickname of "Tuner" (after a hi-fi amplifier), which was corrupted to "Chuner" and later "Chinna". Smith became interested in guitar as a teenager and made his own from sardine cans and fishing line. He formed a vocal group with his friend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sly And Robbie
Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians. They recorded several albums under the Sly and Robbie name, and made hundreds of appearances on records by other performers. Shakespeare died in December 2021 following kidney surgery. Career 1970s: Beginnings in reggae Sly Dunbar, then drumming for Skin Flesh and Bones, and Robbie Shakespeare, playing bass and guitar with the Aggrovators, discovered they had the same ideas about music in general (both are fans of Motown, Stax Records, the Philly Sound, and country music, in addition to Jamaican record labels Studio One and Treasure Isle), and reggae production in particular. Speaking on his influences, Sly explains “My mentor was the drummer for The Skatalites, Lloyd Knibb. And I used to l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Congo Ashanti
The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio with the addition of Watty Burnett (baritone) (b. early 1950s, Port Antonio, Jamaica), and have been active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They are best known for their '' Heart of the Congos'' album, recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry. History Myton had previously been a member of The Tartans in the late 1960s (along with Prince Lincoln Thompson, Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and Ras Michael's group, and had recorded with Thompson's Royal Rasses in the mid-1970s. He formed the Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, recording the single "At the Feast" for Lee "Scratch" Perry. Perry expanded the group to a trio with the addition of Burnett, this line-up recording the classic roots reggae album '' Heart o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Go Feet Records
Go-Feet Records was an English record label founded by, and predominantly used to release recordings by, the ska revival band the Beat (known as the English Beat in North America). The band had some chart success in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. The label also released a few recordings by other bands. The Beat's first release was on 2 Tone Records, but when Madness struck a deal with Stiff Records, the Beat left to form their own label. As of 2025, The Beat's catalogue now operates under Warner Music Group's Rhino Entertainment. The label was distributed over the years by labels such as Arista, London, Edsel, and BMG Rights Management. Albums *The Beat: '' I Just Can't Stop It'' (BEAT 1, 1980) * The Congos: '' Heart of the Congos'' (BEAT 2, 1980 reissue) *The Beat: '' Wha'ppen?'' (BEAT 3, 1981) * Cedric Myton & The Congos: ''Face the Music'' (BEAT 4, 1981) *The Beat: ''Special Beat Service'' (BEAT 5, 1982) *The Beat: '' What Is Beat?'' (BEAT 6, 1983 compilation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Ark
The Black Ark was the recording studio of reggae and dub music, dub producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, built in 1973 and located behind his family's home in the Washington Gardens neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica. Despite the rudimentary set-up and dated equipment, it was nonetheless the breeding ground for some of Jamaica's most innovative sounds and recording techniques in the latter half of the 1970s. Innovative musical techniques From a technological standpoint, the Black Ark was at the low end in comparison to the international music recording standards of its day. The studio's legendary reputation stems from the innovative production techniques employed by Perry to create sounds that baffled his contemporaries, and which have continued to be a source of amazement to later generations of music producers. An example of Perry's inventive style was his ability to overdub layers of sound effects and instrumentation on each recording track of a basic 4-track (mu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another label recently acquired by PolyGram, were both at the time the largest independent record labels in history, with Island having exerted a major influence on the progressive music scene in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. Island Records operates four international divisions: Island US, Island UK, Island Australia, and Island France (known as Vertigo France until 2014). Current key people include Imran Majid and Justin Eshak who were named co-CEOs of Island Records in 2021. Partially due to its significant legacy, Island remains one of UMG's pre-eminent record labels. History Rise of the brand Island Records was founded in Jamaica on 4 July 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall and Leslie Kong, and financed by Stanley Borden from RK ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Junior Murvin
Junior Murvin (born Murvin Junior Smith, circa 1946 – 2 December 2013) was a Jamaican reggae musician. He is best known for the single " Police and Thieves", produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1976. Early life He was born in Saint James Parish, Jamaica, probably in 1946 though some sources state 1949, and moved to Port Antonio after his father's death.Junior Murvin biography at Reggae-vibes.com . Retrieved 2 December 2013 He began singing as a child, influenced particularly by , and began performing in public after his family moved to |
Max Romeo
Maxwell Livingston Smith (22 November 1944 – 11 April 2025), known professionally as Max Romeo, was a Jamaican reggae and roots reggae recording musician who achieved chart success in his home country and in the United Kingdom. He had several hits with the vocal group the Emotions. His song "Wet Dream (Max Romeo song), Wet Dream" (1968) included overtly sexual lyrics and launched a new style of reggae. Biography Early years Born in St. D'Acre, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, St. Ann, Jamaica on 22 November 1944,"Respect to the Max!" ''Jamaica Observer'', 23 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014 Romeo left home at the age of 14 and worked on a sugar plantations in the American South, plantation outside Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, Clarendon, before winning a local talent competition when he was 18. This prompt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
