The Aggrovators were a
dub/
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 ...
backing band
A backup band or backing band is a Band (music), musical ensemble that typically Accompaniment, accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a Studio recording, recording session, and the ...
in the 1970s and 1980s, and one of the main
session bands of
producer Bunny Lee. The line-up varied, with Lee using the name for whichever set of musicians he was using at any time.
[Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p.7][Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 6] The band's name derived from the record shop that Lee had run in the late 1960s, Agro Sounds.
Alumni of the band included many
musician
A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...
s who later went on to make names for themselves in reggae music. Legends such as
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.
...
,
Sly and Robbie,
Tommy McCook, and
Aston Barrett were all involved with the band at one point or another. Other regular members included
Carlton "Santa" Davis,
Earl "Chinna" Smith,
George "Fully" Fullwood,
Ansel Collins,
Bernard "Touter" Harvey,
Tony Chin,
Bobby Ellis, and
Vin Gordon.
The band recorded Lee's most popular output from the 1970s, with the instrumental B-sides of Lee's single releases on the Jackpot and Justice labels generally credited to The Aggrovators and mixed by
King Tubby
Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub music in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tubby's studio work, in which as a mixing engineer he achiev ...
.
Discography
Albums
* 1975 - ''Shalom Dub'' (
King Tubby
Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub music in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tubby's studio work, in which as a mixing engineer he achiev ...
& The Aggrovators)
* 1975 - ''Brass Rockers'' (
Tommy McCook & The Aggravators)
* 1975 - ''Cookin'' (Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators)
* 1975 - ''King Tubby Meets The Aggrovators At Dub Station'' (Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators)
* 1975 - ''Show Case'' (Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators)
* 1976 - ''Rasta Dub 76''
* 1976 - ''Reggae Stones Dub''
* 1977 - ''Kaya Dub''
* 1977 - ''Aggrovators Meets The Revolutioners At Channel One Studios''
* 1977 - ''Disco Rockers'' (Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators) (aka ''Hot Lava'')
* 1978 - ''Guerilla Dub'' (The Aggrovators &
The Revolutionaries)
* 1978 - ''Jammies In Lion Dub Style''
* 1979 - ''Rockers Almighty Dub'' (The Aggrovators & The Revolutionaries)
* 197X - ''Presents Super Dub Disco Style'' (
Bunny Lee & The Aggrovators)
* 1982 - ''Dubbing In The Back Yard'' (King Tubby & The Aggrovators)
* 1983 - ''Scientist Presents Neville Brown With The Aggrovators At Channel One''
*1990 -
King Tubby
Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub music in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tubby's studio work, in which as a mixing engineer he achiev ...
's "Controls"
*2007 - @
King Tubby
Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub music in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tubby's studio work, in which as a mixing engineer he achiev ...
's Studio
*2017 - Aggrovating The Rhythm At Channel One - Rare Dubs 1976-1979
Compilations
* 1975-77 - ''Bionic Dub'' (The Aggrovators & King Tubby & Bunny Lee)
* 197X - ''Bunny Lee Meets King Tubby & Aggrovators''
* 1973-77 - ''Creation Dub'' (The Aggrovators & King Tubby)
* 1974-76 - ''Dub Jackpot'' (The Aggrovators & King Tubby)
* 1975-76 - ''Dub Justice''
* 1975-79 - ''Dub Gone Crazy'' (The Aggrovators & King Tubby)
* 1973-78 - ''Dubbing It Studio 1 Style''
* 1975-77 - ''Foundation Of Dub'' (King Tubby & The Aggrovators)
* 197X - ''Instrumental Reggae'' (The Aggrovators featuring
Bobby Ellis & Tommy McCook)
* 1975-76 - ''Johnny In The Echo Chamber''
* 1973-77 - ''Straight To I Roy Head'' (Bunny Lee & King Tubby & The Aggrovators)
* 2005 - ''
The Rough Guide to Dub'' (Various artists,
World Music Network)
References
External links
Biography on record label's websitePartial discography on Roots Archives
* Discography at Discogs
1970s establishments in Jamaica
1980s disestablishments in Jamaica
Jamaican reggae musical groups
Jamaican dub musical groups
Jamaican backing bands
Musical groups established in the 1970s
Musical groups disestablished in the 1980s
{{Caribbean-band-stub