Lacksley Castell, sometimes misspelled Laxley, Lacksly, Lasky or Locksley Castel (10 April 1959 – November 1983) was a Jamaican

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 ...

singer best known for his work in the early 1980s.

Biography

Lacksley Castell was born in 1959, (although some sources claim 1962.) The third of five brothers, Castell grew up on Dilliston Avenue in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

's Waterhouse district,Campbell, Howard (2019)
Castell does ode to brother
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 22 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019 the area also home to artists such as

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful pe ...

and The Travellers; Castell recorded in what was known as the "Waterhouse style". He became friends with

Hugh Mundell Hugh Mundell (14 June 1962 – 14 October 1983) was a Jamaican roots reggae singer. Biography Mundell was born the fourth child and only boy to Theresa and Alvin Mundell. Alvin Mundell was a successful lawyer.Campbell, Howard (2012)Hugh Munde ...

who helped both him and his friend Junior Reid to get started in the music business. That resulted in Castell's first single releases in 1978, "Babylon World" and "Love in Your Heart", recorded with

Augustus Pablo Horace Michael Swaby (21 June 1953 – 18 May 1999), Thompson, Dave (2002). ''Reggae & Caribbean Music''. Backbeat Books. , pp. 200–202. also known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub composer, performer, record produc ...

. In 1979, he recorded " Jah Love Is Sweeter" at

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 ...

Black Ark Studios 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 eq ...

, which was a pre-release

chart hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in August 1979, with "What a Great Day" (produced by

Prince Jammy Lloyd Woodrowe James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer, sound system owner and record producer. He began hi ...

) making the top five of the

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compa ...

s chart the same month. In 1980, Castell recorded the '' Jah Fire'' album with Hugh Mundell, produced by

. He also provided backing vocals on Sugar Minott's '' Black Roots'' album and had a further 12-inch hit with "

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n Queen" that year. His first solo album, ''Morning Glory'', was released in 1982 on Robert "Flacko" Palmer's Negus Roots label, who also produced the record. This was followed by a second album, ''Princess Lady'' in 1983, co-arranged by

Dean Fraser Dean Ivanhoe Fraser (sometimes appearing as Dean Frazer; born 4 August 1957) Allmusic.com biography by Sandra Brennan/ref> is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Mus ...

and mixed by Neil "Mad Professor" Fraser. Castell was also credited as arranger on fellow Negus Roots artists

Sly & 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 ...

's 1982 album, ''Dub Rockers Delight'', which consisted of dubs from his ''Morning Glory'' album. Dubs from the ''

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

Lady'' album were included on

Mad Professor Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser (born 27 March 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) known by his stage-name Mad Professor, is a British dub music producer, engineer and remixer. He has collaborated with reggae artists Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly and Robbie, ...

's ''In a Rub a Dub Style''. Castell died in November 1983 after an illness. He was buried in May Pen Cemetery in Kingston. His two albums were re-issued on CD in 2005. A Lacksley Castell Facebook page is maintained by his brother Trevor Castell.

Discography

Albums

* 1980: ''Jah Fire'' (with

) * 1982: ''Morning Glory'' * 1983: ''Princess Lady''

Singles

* 1978: "Babylon World" * 1978: "Love in Your Heart" * 1979: "What a Great Day (It Will Be)" * 1979: "Jah Love Is Sweeter" * 1979: "My Collie Tree" * 1980: "African Queen" * 1980: "Unkind to Myself" * 1981: "Jah Is Watching You" * 1981: "Government Man" * 1982: "Speak Softly" * 1983: "Tug-a-War Games" * 1983: "Johnny Brown"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castell, Lacksley 1959 births 1983 deaths Singers from Kingston, Jamaica Deaths from asthma Jamaican reggae musicians