Bob Andy/Etheopians

More ska/rock steady on the Rio label from 1967.

Bob Andy's official website says -


"Bob Andy (born Keith Anderson) emerged as a solo star in 1966 with the smash hit "I've Got to Go Back Home", a song which has become a much-loved anthem for Jamaicans. He had served his singing and songwriting apprenticeship with the legendary vocal group THE PARAGONS, which he founded with Tyrone (Don) Evans and Howard Barrett, later joined by John Holt. The Paragons had several hits for producer Coxsone Dodd including the Number One "Love At Last", penned by Bob.
As one of STUDIO ONE's leading lights, Bob worked closely with Jackie Mittoo on many of the label's seminal sounds. Besides writing songs for himself which have become reggae standards - "Feeling Soul", "My Time", "Going Home", and "Too Experienced", to name just a few - Bob contributed hits for many of the other artists there.
In 1970, international recognition came when Bob and Marcia Griffiths recorded Nina Simone's "Young, Gifted and Black", which sold 1/2 million in the UK and Europe, and still receives frequent airplay today. BOB & MARCIA became household names, appearing on Top of the Pops and touring extensively. They had another UK Top Ten single and two albums for Trojan Records.

During the early 70s Bob continued his solo recordings; "You Don't Know" and "Life" are two songs from this time which hold a special place in the hearts of his British fans. After the duo split in 1974, Marcia became one of Bob Marley's I-Threes, and Bob's singles "Fire Burning" and "Check It Out" struck a responsive chord with Jamaicans in the new social consciousness of the Manley era."

Learn more about Bob Andy HERE.


Bob Andy - Stay In My Lonely Arms

The Ethiopians - Dun Dead A'Ready

Jackie Edwards

A rare Island LP from the 60's. A curious mixture of cheesy ballad,ska with some R&B thrown in. I think it's Millie of My Boy Lollipop fame dueting with Jackie on My Desire.

Wikipedia says -

"Edwards was born in Jamaica and came to the attention of Chris Blackwell in 1959; when Blackwell set up Island Records in London in 1962, Edwards travelled with him. Edwards worked as a singer and songwriter for Island as well as performing duties such as delivering records. He wrote both "Keep On Running" and "Somebody Help Me", that became #1 singles in the United Kingdom for The Spencer Davis Group. He continued to work as a recording artist himself, with regular album releases through to the mid-1980s"


Jackie Edwards - Ain't Got No Home

Jackie Edwards - That Lucky Old Sun

Jackie Edwards - Come On Home

Jackie Edwards - Do You Want Me Again

Jackie Edwards - A Little Smile

Jackie Edwards - My Desire

Monty & Roy

A nother 45 on the British Blue Beat label that that was part of Melodisc. Released in 1961. Roy was Roy Panton an Monty was Monty Morris, Roy Panton takes up the story-

"I am Roy Panton. I was born in the parish of Kingston, Jamaica W. I. on March 28, 1941. I started singing at an early age, while I was in school. Singing was special to me as I enjoyed having an audience. After school, I decided that that was the root of my dreams and so I took it steps further.

I teamed up with Stranger Cole to form a group called The Rovers and, in the later years of the 50s, we auditioned for the famous Duke Reid. Our first song was called "Freedom Land" and the b side was "Adam and Eve". After our first recording, the group dissolved.

Later on, I teamed up with Monty Morris and we were called Monty & Roy. We recorded for Leslie Kong of the Beverlys label. The recording consisted of two songs: "Shes Mine", and the other side of the single was "Girl Of My Dream". We then went on to record for Duke Reid on the Trojan Label and for him we recorded approximately four songs. After a short stint with Duke Reid, we moved to the Sir Coxsone Downbeat label and one of the songs we did for him was entitled “Jenny”. "


Monty & Roy - Tra La La Boogie

Monty & Roy - In And Out The Window

Bobby Kingdom

More jamaican R&B from Bobby Kingdom on the Blue Beat label released in 1962. Much influenced by the New Orleans and southern states artists like Fats Domino, Little Richard, etc. The Twist was a big dance craze at the time and they had their own take on it. Not much info. about Bobby Kingdom on the internet. Any further info. greatly appreciated.


Bobby Kingdom - Brand New Automobile

Bobby Kingdom - Spanish Town Twist

Girl Satchmo

blue 001, originally uploaded by Kollage Kid.

A Blue Beat single I found many years ago at a jumble sale in Basildon of all places along with dozens of others. I have no idea who Girl Satchmo is or about her partner who sounds more like Satchmo than she does. Its rather confusing really?
If anyone can shed any light it will be most welcome.

Girl Satchmo - Brother Joe

Girl Satchmo - Don't Be Sad

Oldies But Goodies

A great compilation of early ska and rhythym and blues from Jamaica from the 60's on the Melodisc label. Heavily influenced by the music of New Orleans and the southern states of America, whose powerful radio waves reached the Carribean. We can hear the echoes of Shirley and Lee, Fats Domino and Dave Bartholemew etc. in many of these tracks.

Duke Reid

"Duke Reid was born in Jamaica as Arthur Reid around 1915. As a young man he served in the Police Force for about ten years. He had a love of American R & B music and owned a Liquor Store on Bond Street, with his wife, the Duchess. The shop was called Treasure Isle. He had a record program on Jamaica radio called "Treasure Isle Time" playing R & B 78's. Leading USA Jazz artist like Lester Young, Colman Hawkins, Tab Smith and Illinois Jaquet could be heard. By the mid fifties Duke Reid had his own sound system. This comprised of large speakers and a record playing deck together with a powerful amplifier. He used a large van to transport this equipment around Jamaica to dance halls and open air events. Due to the nature of the van it became known as the Trojan. Clemont Seymore Dodd also had a sound system called Sir Coxone Downbeat after the Yorkshire cricketer Coxone. They had many a " Battle of the sound Systems" and towards the end of the fifties Duke Reid the Trojan was crowned king. His record production career began in 1959 on the "Trojan " record label, these were on 78's, such as Duke's Cookies and Chuck and Dobby "Cool School". On the Duke Reid label due to demand he issued home made recordings of the USA R & B style music. He formed his own backing band the Duke Reid Group who backed young singers like Derrick Morgan and the Jiving Juniors. Around this time the Jamaican R & B gave way to Ska, the guitar and piano played on every beat whilst the drummer reversed the offbeat, the bass played a powerful 'walking' rhythm. Duke Reid built his own recording studio, of wood, above the 'Treasure Isle Liquor Store'. Now he could with his engineer, Bryon Smith, achieve a high quality production and experiment with new sounds and rhythms."

Folks Brothers

"Prince Buster established a mix and blend of restricted roots musical forms; using ingredients such as Mento and Burro with a reinforcement of jazz horns in parts mixed with R&B rhythms to construct a decidedly unique new sound. The creation of Ska turned the R&B rhythmic outline inside out by utilizing and co-ordinating of an after-beat guitar strut on the second and fourth heats. A lot of the songs that Prince Buster produced were no doubt unquestionably political, in that they embraced a Marcus Garvey type mind-set of narcissisms and pride in Africanisms blackness

Prince Buster embraces the Africanisms effects within his music productions, none more so than his production of the Folks Brothers "Oh Carolina" back in the 1960s. Oh Carolina very first recording to use the Rastafarian rhythmical drumming group of Count Ossie for accompaniment. In other words the Ska beat combines the poignant backbeat of New Orleans style rhythm & blues and Mento along with a flavouring of Africanisms within the consortium of the music. 1962 after working for Clement Dodd of the Studio One Fame as henchman, Prince Buster took to producing his own records, with labels that read like a religious presentation of deliverance. "


Keith and Enid - Worried Over You

Duke Reid's Group - What Makes Honey

Rudy and Sketto - My heart's Desire

Helena Darling - The Flames

The Folks Brothers - Carolina

Derrick Morgan - Throw Them Away


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