SKA Episode 1

More of my Favourites. 1. 54-46 Was My Number - The Maytals The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s when ska was hot. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the frontman of the group stated that he made up the number 54-46 when writing "54-46 That's My Number" about his time in jail. 2. Give me your Love - The Ethiopians Essentially a mouthpiece for singer and songwriter Leonard Dillon, the Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's most influential vocal groups during their heyday. They were a ska, rocksteady, and reggae vocal group, founded by Dillon, Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris in 1966. 3. Hey Hey Girl - The Maytals The consummate vocal group, the Maytals are inextricably tied to Jamaica's musical history, and their long and prolific career has seen the group at the forefront of virtually every shift in musical direction up until the ragga era. 4. I won't let you Go - The High Notes Rude Rich and the High Notes are a Dutch ska collective, formed in 1998. While the band write and play their own material, they strive for an authentic Jamaican sound in their traditional ska, rocksteady and reggae music. 5. Israelites - Desmond Dekker & The Ages In 1968 Dekker's "Israelites" was released, eventually topping the UK Singles Chart in April 1969 and peaking in the Top Ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1969. Dekker was thus the first Jamaican artist to have a hit record in the US with a form and style that was purely Jamaican, though he never repeated the feat. 6. Jackpot - Pioneers Reggae classic which inspired the Two Tone Revolution. The Pioneers were formed in 1962 by brothers Sydney and Derrick Crooks, and their friend Winston Hewitt. 7. Liquidator - Harry J & The All Stars In October 1969, Harry Zephaniah Johnson met success in the UK with "The Liquidator" (number 9 in the UK Singles Chart) recorded with his session band, The Harry J All Stars 8. Miss Jamaica - Jimmy Cliff Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. In 1964, Cliff was chosen as one of Jamaica's representatives at the World's Fair and he soon signed to Island Records and moved to the UK. 9. Monkey Man - The Maytals Monkey Man is a 1969 song by the ska and reggae group the Maytals, reaching number 47 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was a jab at their producer, Leslie Kong. 10. My Boy Lollipop - Millie Mille Small, also known simply as Millie is a Jamaican singer-songwriter, best known for her 1964 cover version of "My Boy Lollipop" one of the catchiest songs ever! 11. One Step Beyond - Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell’s early records, which were released in the UK by Blue Beat Records, contributed greatly to the developing sound of ska. Campbell began his professional career as a singer in 1956 performing in Kingston nightclubs. 12. Tighten Up - The Untouchables The Inspirations were essentially a duo of Jimmy London and Billy Dyce, who were active on the Jamaican music scene at the end of the 1960s and into the early '70s. They initially worked with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, and their song "Tighten Up," recorded at Studio One, was actually Perry's first independent production (Perry, for some reason, called the group the Untouchables when the single was released) 13. Too Hot – Prince Buster Track 8 on his greatest hits album “Fabulous”. This 1967 hit was covered by the Specials, on their debut album The Specials. 14. Train to Skaville – The Ethiopians Around late 1966, Morris left the Ethiopians. Having left Dodd, the Ethiopians started recording at Dynamic Studios for the W.I.R.L. label, releasing the rocksteady "Train to Skaville", which was their first success.