The Congos are a

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 ...

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 Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, songwriter and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development ...

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 Michael George Henry OD (born 1943), better known as Ras Michael, is a Jamaican reggae singer and Nyabinghi specialist. He also performs under the name of Dadawah. Biography Henry was born in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, where he was raised in ...

'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 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 ...

album '' Heart of the Congos'' in 1977 at Perry's

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 ru ...

studio. The album featured illustrious backing singers such as

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 ...

, The Meditations, and Barry LLewellyn and Earl Morgan of

The Heptones The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady in ...

. The album has been described as "the most consistently brilliant album of Scratch's entire career". Perry's previous productions by Max Romeo and Junior Murvin had been huge commercial successes thanks to a deal with

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 ...

, but Perry was in dispute with Island at the time the Congos' album was finished, so it was released on his own

label, limiting its success overseas, and causing a rift with the group. The Congos went their own way, organising a limited pressing of the album themselves. United Kingdom label Go Feet eventually reissued the album in 1980, and although the group had recorded new material since leaving Perry, ''Heart of the Congos'' proved a hard act to follow and their other releases suffered as a consequence. Albums such as '' Congo Ashanti'' were sparser and sounded ordinary compared to Perry's kitchen-sink-and-all massive productions. Burnett quit the group, soon followed by Johnson, who embarked on a solo career. Myton continued to record as The Congos with various other musicians until the mid-1980s. In the mid-1990s, The Congos reformed, with Myton and Burnett joined by Lindburgh Lewis, several albums following in subsequent years. In 2005 Myton recorded ''Give Them the Rights'' with a host of backup singers and star session players such as

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 separat ...

and

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 ...

, very much in the spiritual 70s roots vein. In 2006, the UK reggae revival label Blood and Fire released the album ''Fisherman Style'' featuring a remixed version of the classic cut "Fisherman" from ''Heart of the Congos'' plus such legends as

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 Ma ...

Big Youth Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican Toasting (J ...

, Dillinger,

Prince Jazzbo Linval Roy Carter (3 September 1951 – 11 September 2013), better known as Prince Jazzbo, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall Deejay (Jamaican), deejay and record producer, producer. Career Born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, and raised in King ...

, Luciano, Freddie McGregor,

, Max Romeo, Mykal Rose, Dean Fraser, Sugar Minott, and

U-Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

doing their own new versions over the original rhythm. In 2002, they appeared on the album '' The Slackers and Friends'' by the ska/reggae band The Slackers. In 2008, The Congos appeared in the independent feature film, '' Wah Do Dem'' which captures them performing "Fisherman," and "Congoman Chant," under a full moon at Helshire Beach outside Kingston. In 2009, Myton, Burnett, and Johnson reunited with Perry to record the album ''Back in the Black Ark'', which, despite its title, was recorded at Myton's studio in Portmore and at Mixing Lab, Kingston.Katz, David (2010) "Culture Section", ''

MOJO Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'', March 2010, p. 15

Discography

;Albums *'' Heart of the Congos'' (1977)

*'' Congo'' aka ''Congo Ashanti'' (1979) Congo Ashanty/

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 ...

*''Image of Africa'' (1979) Congo Ashanty/

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

*''Heart of the Congos''(1981) Go-Feet Records *''Best of Congos vol. 1'' (1983) Tafari *''Natty Dread Rise Again'' (1997) RAS *''Revival'' (1998) VP *''Live at Maritime Hall: San Francisco'' (2000) 2B1 *''Lion Treasure'' (2001) JDC/M10 *''Give Them the Rights'' (2005) Young Tree *''Fisherman Style'' (2006) Blood and Fire *''Cock Mouth Kill Cock'' (2006) Explorer Music also issued as ''Feast'' (2006) Kingston Sounds *''Swinging Bridge'' (2006) Mediacom/Nocturne *''Back in the Black Ark'' (2009) Mediacom *''We Nah Give Up'' Pura Vida & The Congos(2011), Lost Ark Music 001 *''Dub Feast'' (2012) Jamaican Recordings *''FRKWYS Vol. 9: Icon Give Thank'' (2012), RVNG Intl – with

Sun Araw Cameron Stallones, better known as Sun Araw, is an American musician. Previously a member of the band Magic Lantern, he has released several albums of experimental music, including a collaboration with Jamaican reggae group The Congos. He has als ...

and M. Geddes Gengras *''Morning Star'' (2018), Lost Ark Music – with Pura Vida ;Contributing artist *'' The Rough Guide to Reggae'' (1997) World Music Network

References

External links

The Congos at Roots Archives

Discography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Congos, The Jamaican reggae musical groups Jamaican dub musical groups Jamaican musical duos Jamaican musical trios Performers of Rastafarian music Roots Reggae Library Musical groups established in 1977