The Cimarons are a British

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

band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band.

History

As Jamaican natives, they emigrated to London as teenagers. In 1962, Locksley Gichie, then age 13, moved to the UK. In 1967, Locksley Gichie met Franklyn Dunn in a bus shelter in the rain and subsequently invited Dunn to the youth club in Tavistock Hall, on Tavistock Road, built around 1906, as a Sunday school, for the Methodist Church, High Street,

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...

, Brent, north-west London.Wray, Daniel Dylan (2024)
‘The way they’ve been exploited is obscene’: the untold story of forgotten UK reggae heroes Cimarons
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 18 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024 They took the name, ''The Cimarons'', after a popular American Western series, set in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Cimarron Strip ''Cimarron Strip'' is an American Western television series starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown. The series was produced by the creators of ''Gunsmoke'' and aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Reruns of the original show w ...

(1967

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

). The group consisted of Franklyn Dunn (bass), Carl Levy (keyboards), Locksley Gichie (lead guitar), Maurice Ellis (drums) and vocalist Carl Lewis. In 1968, they played their first gig at Harlesden cricket club. * * Vocalist, Winston Reid (better known as

Winston Reedy Winston Reedy (born 13 July 1950, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, West Indies) is a Jamaican reggae singer. Previously vocalist for the Cimarons from 1970, he is best known as a lovers rock vocalist with hits such as "Paradise in Your Eyes", "Moi ...

) joined in 1973. They were primarily session musicians at

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. Th ...

, and backed many artists, including

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

and

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 l ...

, and performed with

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

in 1972. They performed at the Edinburgh Reggae Festival in 1973, where they also backed Nicky Thomas's performance of

Syl Johnson Sylvester Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson; July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), " Is It Because I' ...

's original, "Is It Because I'm Black". They appeared on Top of the Pops in multiple performances including with

Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...

in 1974. They were studio musicians and producers on Boothe’s ''Everything I Own'' album on certain tracks. The band often appeared under aliases such as the Hot Rod All Stars or the Soul Messengers. Their first album ''In Time'', released on

in 1974 featured a rendition of the

O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in summer 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the m ...

' "Ship Ahoy", "Utopian Feeling", a

Johnny Arthey John Raymond Arthey (24 September 1930 – 27 October 2007) was a British conductor and composer. He was responsible for arranging many hit pop records in the 1960s and 1970s. Life and career Johnny Arthey started his career as a pianist ...

-arranged version of "Over the Rainbow," and "My Blue Heaven". Vulcan Records, one of the first independent foundation conscious

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 ho ...

and dub labels in the UK and a sister label to Grounation record label, released their second album ''On the Rock'' two years later, which was recorded both in Jamaica at Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark Studio,

Joseph Hoo Kim Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

Channel One Studios Channel One is a recording studio in Maxfield Avenue, West Kingston, Jamaica. The studio was built by the Hoo Kim brothers in 1972, and has had a profound influence on the development of reggae music. History Joseph Hoo Kim's parents ran a bar a ...

and

Randy Chin Vincent "Randy" Chin (3October 19372February 2003) was a Jamaican record producer and entrepreneur who ran the Randy's shop, recording studio, and record label, later moving to New York City and setting up the VP Records empire, now the world's l ...

's recording studio and in England at London’s

Chalk Farm Chalk Farm is a small urban district of north west London, lying immediately north of Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden. History Manor of Rugmere Chalk Farm was originally known as the Manor of Rugmere, an estate that was mentio ...

Studios. The album included a cover of Bob Marley's "Talking Blues" which charted in Jamaica at the number 1 spot for several weeks where it was released on

Tommy Cowan Tommy Cowan CD (born Thomas Lincoln Cowan, 6 April 1946, Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica) is a producer and singer, initially working in reggae but later concentrating on gospel, who has been involved in the music business since the 1960s.Brooks, Sade ...

's Talent Corp label. The album also featured a tribute to

Paul Bogle Paul Bogle (1822 – 24 October 1865)Dugdale-Pointon, T. Military History Encyclopedia good on the Web, 22 September 2008. was a Jamaican Baptist deacon and activist. He is a National Hero of Jamaica. He was a leader of the 1865 Morant Bay ...

, the leader of the 1865

Morant Bay Rebellion The Morant Bay Rebellion (11 October 1865) began with a protest march to the courthouse by hundreds of people led by preacher Paul Bogle in Morant Bay, Jamaica. Some were armed with sticks and stones. After seven men were shot and killed by t ...

who was made a National Hero by the Jamaican government in 1969. In the late 1970s when

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

was in ascendance in England, The Cimarons regularly played with bands such as

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

and

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

Generation X Generation X (often shortened to Gen X) is the Demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the Baby Boomers and preceding Millennials. Researchers and popular media often use the mid-1960s as its starting birth years and the ...

at a time when the

Rock Against Racism Rock Against Racism (RAR) was a political and cultural movement which emerged in 1976 in reaction to a rise in racist attacks on the streets of the United Kingdom and increasing support for the far-right National Front at the ballot box. Betwe ...

movement catalysed and captured the

zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' (; ; capitalized in German) is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. The term is usually associated with Georg W. F ...

. They switched to

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, releasing ''Live at the Roundhouse'' in 1978. Polydor released ''Maka'' the same year. During this period, they did a major British tour supporting

Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, ac ...

, who had just released their

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

-produced debut single. Three more albums followed: ''Freedom Street'', ''Reggaebility'' (an album of covers of songs owned by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

's publishing company MPL, at the request of McCartney himself), and ''On the Rock Part 2''. After the last of these, in 1983, they didn't surface again until 1995 when Lagoon Records released ''People Say'' and ''Reggae Time'', both compilations of earlier albums, followed by ''The Best of the Cimarons'', released in 1999 on Culture Press.In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Lloyd 'Jah Bunny' Donaldson was active in the

and sound system scene, releasing records with

Dennis Bovell Dennis Bovell (born 22 May 1953) is a Barbados-born reggae guitarist, bass player and record producer, based in the United Kingdom. He was a member of a progressive rock group called Stonehenge, who later changed name and became the British r ...

Matumbi (band) Matumbi were one of the top British reggae bands of the 1970s and early 1980s, and are best known as the first successful band of guitarist and record producer Dennis Bovell. The group wrote and performed the opening theme song to ''Empire Road'', ...

and with Lincoln "Sugar" Minott, Winston "Tony Tuff" Morris, and Derrick "Bubbles" Howard's Conscious Roots band, The African Brothers, who released vocal and dub

discomix A discomix, or simply a disco, is an extended reggae 12-inch single that typically features the vocal track followed by a dub version or a deejay version of the same track.Heath, ML (2010)Joe Gibbs: 12" Reggae Discomix Showcase Volumes 4 and 5, Pop ...

es for

Greensleeves Records Greensleeves Records is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, i ...

went on to a prolific and active solo career, releasing records mostly in the

Lovers Rock Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s.Larkin, Col ...

, dancehall and conscious

style with

Gregory Isaacs Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...

Jackie Mittoo Donat Roy Mittoo (3 March 1948 – 16 December 1990), better known as Jackie Mittoo, was a Jamaican-Canadian keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a member of The Skatalites and musical director of the Studio One record label. ...

, Enos McLeod,

Vin Gordon Vin Gordon (a.k.a. Trommie, Don D. Junior or Don Drummond Jr) (born 4 August 1949) is a Jamaican trombone player. Biography Gordon grew up in Jones Town, Kingston, Jamaica as one of eight children. He went to Kingston's Catholic Alpha Boys Sc ...

, Joseph Cotton,

Mafia & Fluxy Mafia & Fluxy are a British reggae rhythm section and production team, consisting of the brothers Leroy (bass) and David Heywood (drums), whose careers began with London reggae band The Instigators in 1977. They backed Jamaican artists on UK to ...

, and

Dennis Alcapone Dennis Alcapone, born Dennis Smith, is a Jamaican reggae Deejay (Jamaican), DJ and Record producer, producer. In 2018, he received the Prime Minister's Medal of Appreciation from Andrew Holness.Johnson, Richard (2018)'Clean up your act!'", ''Ja ...

. Gichie and Dunn continue to perform as The Cimarons.

Discography

Albums

*''In Time'' (1974)

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 18 ...

*''On the Rock'' (1976) Vulcan *''Maka'' (1978)

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

*''Live'' (1978) Polydor *''Freedom Street'' (1980)

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

*''Reggaebility'' (1982) Hallmark *''On De Rock Part 2'' (1983) Butt (recorded 1976)

Compilations

*''People Say'' (1991) Lagoon (recorded 1974–76) *''Reggae Time'' Lagoon *''The Best of the Cimarons'' (1992) Culture Press *''Maroon Land'' (2001) Rhino *''Reggae Best'' (2004) Culture Press *''Reggae Masters'' (2007) Creon

Singles

*"Funky Fight" (1970) Big Shot *"Oh Mammy Blue" (1971) Downtown *"Holy Christmas" (1971) Downtown *"Struggling Man" (1972) Horse (split 7-inch with The Prophets) *" Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" (1973) Mooncrest (as

The Hotshots The Hotshots was a ska band which had a hit single (record), single in the UK singles charts with a cover of "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron (song), Snoopy Vs The Red Baron" in 1973. History In Spring 1973, the head of Mooncrest Records, Clive Crawl ...

) UK #4 *"Talking Blues" (#1 in Jamaica) *"Check Out Yourself" Trojan *"

You Can Get It If You Really Want "You Can Get It If You Really Want" is a reggae song written and originally recorded by Jamaican singer songwriter Jimmy Cliff and released as a single in July 1970. Another version, recorded by Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker and released within a ...

" (1974) Trojan *"Dim the Light" (1976) Trojan *"Over the Rainbow" Trojan *"Harder Than the Rock" (1978) Polydor *"Mother Earth" (1978) Polydor *"Willin' (Rock Against Racism)"/"Truly" (1978) Polydor *"Ready for Love" (1981) Charisma *"With a Little Luck" (1982) IMP *"Big Girls Don't Cry" (1982) Safari *"How Can I Prove Myself to You" (1982) *"Be My Guest Tonight" (1995) *"Time Passage" Fontana The Cimarons also backed several singers on Trojan singles, often credited on the B-side with an instrumental version of the A-side.

References

External links

The Cimarons: discography''The Cimarons'' - Topic
at

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

The Cimarons: Remembering the British reggae pioneers
by Eric Doumerc (June 2022) via ''Perfect Sound Forever''
The Cimarons:The UK's first reggae band
at

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Metadata
Cimarons
-

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

''Harder Than the Rock'' (2024)
-

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

*https://www.discogs.com/artist/53889-The-Cimarons *https://www.deezer.com/uk/artist/455234 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cimarons, The Musical groups from London British reggae musical groups Trojan Records artists 1967 establishments in England Musical groups established in 1967