The Sattalites are a Canadian

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 the ...

group. Founded in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

as a

music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

in 1981, the band has become one of the most successful Canadian reggae ensembles. They signed with the Canadian

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

Solid Gold Records early in their career and have been with them ever since. Their style has been described as a radio-friendly combination of

lover's 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, Co ...

and

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 Ro ...

History

Jo Jo Bennett and Fergus Hambleton, the first members of the Sattalites, met while touring with reggae singer Afreen and the pair began performing together, mixing Bennett's instrumentals with Hambleton's smooth alto voice to create the Sattalites' sound. The band started as a teaching group who opened the Sattalites Music School on a pay-what-you-can basis to spread their influence in 1981. The Sattalites consisted of various types of students from the school who wanted a sense of live performing. By 1982, the Sattalites had melded into a collaboration of

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

s from talented beginners to experienced pros, some of whom still perform. They became very well known for their enthusiastic live performances which initiated their extensive touring across Canada and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. It was the only Canadian band ever invited to play at

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 Hispan ...

's " Sunsplash", playing before 25,000 people, and they also performed at the 1993/94 World Skiing Championship in

Whistler, British Columbia Whistler ( Lillooet/Ucwalmícwts: Cwitima, ; Squamish/Sḵwx̱wú7mesh: Sḵwiḵw, ) is a resort municipality in Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mo ...

. As two-time

Juno Juno commonly refers to: * Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Juno, in the ...

winners, the Sattalites are one of Canada's longest standing reggae groups.

Members

Fergus Hambleton has been the lead vocalist of the Sattalites since the band's beginning. He also plays the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, alto saxophone and the keyboard and has played in other bands including A Passing Fancy and the

Ginger Group The Ginger Group was not a formal political party in Canada, but a faction of radical Progressive and Labour Members of Parliament who advocated socialism. The term ginger group also refers to a small group with new, radical ideas trying to ac ...

. Vocalist Jo Jo Bennett, a founding member of the group, also played the

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

. The other six members are David Fowler (keyboards), Bruce McGillivray (bass), Neville Francis(rhythm guitar, backup, and lead vocals), Junior McPherson (drums and percussion), Rick Morrison (saxophone) and Bruce 'Preacher' Robinson (piano and vocals). During the 1980s and 1990s, Felix Taylor played

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrat ...

and sang

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

. Neil Chapman was a member for their first three albums, playing lead guitar, and has also guested on later recordings as well live on stage.

Discography

;Albums * 1985 ''Sattalites'' * 1987 ''Live via Sattalites'' * 1989 ''Miracles'' * 1993 ''All Over the World'' * 1995 ''Now and Forever'' * 2003 ''Reggaefication'' ;Singles * "Wild" * “ Gimme Some Kinda Sign” (#44 Can Pop / #9 Can AC) * “ Too Late to Turn Back Now” (#17 Can AC / #1 CanCon) * “Now and Forever” * “I’m Gonna Be The One” * “Miracles” * "The Reason Why" * “Rendezvous” * “Walkin On Sunshine”

References

External links

The Sattalites catalog at Solid Gold Records

* * {{Imdb name, id=3625147 Canadian reggae musical groups Canadian ska groups Musical groups from Toronto Musical groups established in 1981 1981 establishments in Ontario Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year winners