Israel Vibration are a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

harmony group, originating from

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inte ...

. Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence all suffered from childhood

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sy ...

, and went on to be a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

group in the 1970s. The trio initially met as children at a rehabilitation center.

History

Bulgin (born 1955), Craig (1955–2020), and Spence (born 1952–2022) first met as children at the Mona Rehabilitation Clinic, all sufferers of polio in the epidemic that spread through Jamaica in the 1950s. Several years later they formed Israel Vibration.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 133-135Brown, Joe (1991)
Reggae Culture Has Vibrations
, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', 8 February 1991Block, Melissa & Siegel, Robert (2004)
Interview: Gary Himmelfarb discusses a reggae adaptation of some of Bob Dylan's songs
,

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, 27 August 2004, Craig attended the

Alpha Boys School Alpha Cottage School (often referred to as Alpha Boys School, Convent of Mercy "Alpha" Academy and now called Alpha Institute) was the name of the vocational residential school on South Camp Road in Kingston, Jamaica, still run by Roman Catholi ...

but ran away at the age of fourteen, living on the streets. Spence was a member of the band Hot Lickers, appearing on Jamaican television with the group at the age of twelve. He also played in the Jamaican

wheelchair basketball Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing a non-disabled sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of ...

team but was forced out in 1969 after adopting the

Rastafarian Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control ...

faith, something which the three had in common when they were later reunited. Spence and Craig got together in Kingston and sought out Bulgin, who at the time was working as a tailor. They formed a vocal group, initially adopting the name Israel Vibration Israel Vibrates, soon becoming simply Israel Vibration. They survived on money earned singing in the streets for several years, and in 1975 attempted to launch a recording career at

Channel One Studios Channel One is a recording studio in Maxfield Avenue, West Kingston, Jamaica.Campbell, Howard (2014)Making magic at Channel One, ''Jamaica Observer'', 17 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014 The studio was built by the Hoo Kim brothers in 1972, and ...

, but the track they recorded there ("Bad Intention") was not released. Funding for their first album came in the form of a grant from the

Twelve Tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, thro ...

branch of Rastafarai after Hugh Booth, a member of the Twelve Tribes, had overheard the three men singing in a wooded area outside Kingston. Apple and Wiss were living in the area, which they had converted into a home. Recorded at the Treasure Isle studio in 1976, their debut release was the single "Why Worry", released on the Twelve Tribes label late that year.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 204 The single was successful enough for the group to be offered support slots at shows by artists such as

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...

, Inner Circle, and

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements ...

. They then began working with producer Tommy Cowan, releasing "The Same Song" (on which they were backed by members of Inner Circle) on his Top Ranking label in 1977, and an album of the same name followed in 1978.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (1999) ''Reggae – 100 Essential CDs: The Rough Guide'', Rough Guides, , p. 83-4 The album, and its dub counterpart, ''Israel Tafari'' (aka ''Same Song Dub'') were a success internationally, leading to a deal with EMI label

Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most l ...

to reissue the album in the UK, the label also releasing a second album, ''Unconquered People'' in 1980. For their third album, ''Why You So Craven'' (the title track aimed at their former producer Cowan), they worked with

Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1960 in Kingston, Jamaica – 13 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...

but disagreements meant that they left the album unfinished, with Lawes getting

The Tamlins The Tamlins are a Jamaican reggae vocal group formed in the late 1960s, known for their hits such as "Baltimore", and their work with artists such as Peter Tosh. History The group originally comprised Carlton Smith, Junior Moore and Winston Mor ...

to complete it. The group relocated to New York in 1982 to seek professional health care, and escape the growing

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

movement in Jamaica, but struggled to break through there and they split up.Miller, Mark R. (1999) "ISRAEL VIBRATION "Pay the Piper" RAS Records", ''

'', 19 March 1999, p. N7 They each attempted to launch solo careers, with Bulgin releasing the ''Mr Sunshine'' album in 1985, but by 1987 they decided to relaunch Israel Vibration. Having all been turned down when they approached Gary "Dr. Dread" Himmelfarb, founder of

RAS Records RAS Records, also known as Real Authentic Sound, is a reggae record label. History RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there. By the early to mid-1980 ...

, during their solo period, they received a positive response when they approached him as a group. They were flown to Washington, D.C. to record a new album at the Lion and Fox Recording Studios in

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known ...

, backed by the Roots Radics. ''Strength of my Life'' was the group's fourth album. The band stayed with RAS into the 21st century, releasing more than a dozen albums for the label. In 1997, Apple Gabriel left the group to pursue a solo career, releasing the album ''Another Moses'' in 1999.Lien, James (1999)
Apple Gabriel ''Another Moses''
, ''CMJ New Music Report'', 3 May 1999, p. 35, retrieved 16 September 2012 Skelly and Wiss continue to record albums and tour the world as Israel Vibration, backed by longtime associates Roots Radics.Joyce, Mike (2003)

, ''

'', 23 May 2003,Brinn, David (2008)
Reggae legends make Israel a Pessah destination
, ''

Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper ...

'', 14 April 2008 In December 2014 they were reportedly recording a new album set for release in early 2015. The new album, entitled "Play It Real" was released on 31 March 2015 via Utopia. On March 23rd, 2020, Albert "Apple Gabriel" co-founder and former member of the group died due to 'compilation sickness', earlier reports indicated that Albert was not well for quite some time, this was supposedly due to some of the polio infections left in his body. On a

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

post on March 7, 2020, he had indicated that he had suffered a stroke. He died on March 23, 2020. On August 26th, 2022, Cecil "Skelly" Spence died of lung cancer.Vibration's 'Skelly' Spence dies at 69 years old
Published by Jamaica Observer on 28 August 2020

Discography

Cecil 'Skelly' Spence in Antwerp 2018 - 1

Lascelle 'Wiss' Bulgin in Antwerp 2018 - 1

Studio albums

* ''The Same Song'' (1978), Top Ranking * ''Unconquered People'' (1979), Harvest * ''Why You So Craven'' (1981), Volcano * ''Strength of My Life'' (1988), RAS * ''Praises'' (1990), RAS * ''Dub Vibration: Israel Vibration in Dub'' (1990), RAS * ''Forever'' (1991), RAS * ''IV'' (1993), RAS * ''I.V.D.U.B.'' (1994), RAS * '' On the Rock'' (1995), RAS * ''Dub the Rock'' (1995), RAS * ''Israel Dub'' (1996), RAS * '' Free to Move'' (1996), RAS * ''Ras Portraits'' (1997), RAS * ''Pay the Piper'' (1999), RAS * ''Jericho'' (2000), RAS * ''Power of the Trinity'' (2002) * ''Dub Combo'' (2001), RAS * ''Fighting Soldiers'' (2003) * ''Cool and Calm'' (2005) * ''Stamina'' (2007), Mediacom * '' Reggae Knights'' (2010), Mediacom * ''Play It Real'' (2015), Utopia

Live albums

* ''Israel Vibration & The Gladiators Live at Reggae Sunsplash'' (1982) * ''Vibes Alive'' (1992), RAS Living truth (1999) * ''Live Again!'' (1997), RAS * ''Live & Jammin'' (2003), Nocturne

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Israel Vibration Jamaican reggae musical groups Reggae duos People with polio Roots Reggae Library