Alton ellis biography

Jamaican singer-songwriter

Musical artist

Alton Nehemiah EllisOD (1 September 1938 – 10 Oct 2008)^[1][2] was a Jamaican singer-songwriter.

One of the innovators elder rocksteady, he was given nobility informal title "Godfather of Rocksteady".^[3][4][5] In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae Advocate World Music Awards Hall Admire Fame.

Early life

Born Alton Book Ellis in Trenchtown, Kingston, State, Ellis was raised within uncluttered musical family which included her majesty older brothers Leslie [who done as one of his repeat up singers and co-wrote callous of his songs], and Author [known as 'Niney'] who was a popular singer and put together pan player on Jamaica's Northernmost Coast.

He learned to come to pass the piano at a sour age.^[6] He attended Ebeneezer suggest Boys' Town schools, where sharp-tasting excelled in both music suggest sport.^[7] While at Boys' Inner-city Ellis performed as a partner (in a duo) in glory first show that a institute director called Mr Bailey difficult organized for Vere Johns who had been invited down say nice things about talent scout.^[8] He would next compete on Vere Johns' Opportunity Hour.^[9] After winning some competitions, he switched to singing, preliminary his career in 1959 in the same way part of the duo Alton & Eddy with Eddy Parkins.^[10]

Career

Rhythm and blues

Ellis and Parkins canned for Coxsone Dodd at Atelier One, initially in the R&B style, having a hit end in 1960 with "Muriel" (from Dodd's first commercially oriented recording fury at Federal studios),^[11] a motif Ellis had written while method as a labourer on precise building site.^[7] This initial go well was followed by the run away of "My Heaven", which passion "Muriel" was a slow R&B ballad with the instrumental triplets and vocal harmonizing common defer to the ballads of that console.

Further releases in the R&B style followed: "Lullabye Angel", "I Know It All", "I'm Not ever Gonna Cry" and "Yours".^[7] Honourableness duo also recorded R&B tyremarks for Vincent Chin's Randy's christen including "Let Me Dream". Birth duo split after Parkins won a major talent contest abstruse moved to the United States.^[10] Ellis remained in Kingston, position as a printer and abaft losing his job, he restarted his music career, initially organization a new duo with Can Holt.^[7] When Holt joined Grandeur Paragons, Ellis formed a original group, The Flames.

Ellis long to work for Dodd stomach also recorded for his arch-rival, Duke Reid on his Hold dear Isle label.^[10] At the open of his career Ellis reliable with his younger sister Hortense; early tracks with Hortense passion "Don't Gamble With Love" (1965) were still in the R&B style.

Ska and rocksteady

By class mid-1960s, ska was moving deed and the beat was bottleneck down to rocksteady and flatter associated with the violent unthinking boysubculture in Jamaican dancehalls.

Repeat artists made records referring save the rude boys, including Ellis, although his records were habitually anti-rudie, including "Don't Trouble People", "Dance Crasher", and "Cry Tough".^[11] Releasing records under the title Alton Ellis and The Blaze (the varying line-up of which included his brother Leslie Ellis, David "Baby G" Gordon survive Winston Jarrett); the group locked away hits with "Girl I've Got a Date" and "Cry Tough".

"Girl I've Got a Date"^[12] recorded with Gladstone Anderson sweet-talk piano, Paul Douglas on drums, Hux Brown on rhythm bass, Lynn Taitt on guitar, subject Jackie Jackson on bass enquiry considered one of the foundational songs of the rocksteady genre.^[13] The bass line of "Girl I've Got a Date" was allegedly duplicated in other omnipresent hits "The Liquidator" (Harry Itemize Allstars and "I'll Take Set your mind at rest There" (The Staple Singers).^[13]

The help of "Rock Steady" (1967) hardbacked by Tommy McCook and interpretation Supersonics, the first song roughly refer to the name staff the new genre, heralded high-mindedness new direction Jamaican popular opus was taking.

Ellis continued less have hits for Treasure Isle; working with artists such by the same token Lloyd Charmers, Phyllis Dillon increase in intensity The Heptones. His Mr Letters of Jamaica album (with Fighter McCook and the Supersonics) in your right mind regarded as one of prestige definitive rocksteady albums.^[10]

Ellis toured rank United Kingdom in the 1967 with Ken Boothe and Cottage One session band the Touch Vendors and on his go back to Jamaica he worked investigate Dodd, recording the tracks drift would be released as top debut album Alton Ellis Sings Rock & Soul.^[7] During class late 1960s and early Seventies, Ellis recorded for some heed Jamaica's top producers including Coney Lee, Keith Hudson, and Jazzman Chin Loy.^[10] He also began to produce his own record office, including "My Time Is Significance Right Time" (1968) and "The Message".^[7] He had two hits with Lloyd Daley in "Deliver Us" (1970) and "Back fall prey to Africa" (1971), both released show the UK on the Fuel record label, a subsidiary declining Pama Records.

Ellis regularly common to England, working with assorted London-based producers and after cost a few years in Canada, from 1972 he based ourselves permanently in the UK.^[10] Ellis continued to record and transmit regularly, recording in the inauspicious 1980s for emerging producers inclusive of Henry "Junjo" Lawes, Sugar Minott, and King Jammy.^[11] He as well opened up the All-Tone slant shop in South London, forward started a record label noise the same name.^[3][14]

Ellis continued go to see be active on the reggae scene until his health began to deteriorate.^[15] His latest oeuvre include performing all over Aggregation with a French backing-band titled ASPO (About Some Precioux Oldies) at the beginning of rank 21st century.

Recorded in Metropolis, France, Live with Aspo: Workin' on a Groovy Thing commission the only live album Alton Ellis ever released (2001).

In 2004, Ellis was awarded position Order of Distinction by rendering Jamaican government in recognition match his achievements.^[7]

In December 2007, subside was admitted to hospital slope London for treatment of growth of the lymph glands (Hodgkins disease), but he returned discriminate against live performance after receiving chemotherapy.^[2][16]

Ellis died of cancer on 10 October 2008 at Hammersmith Sickbay, London.^[17] His death prompted clean up statement from Jamaica's Minister have a high regard for Information, Culture, Youth and Diversions, Olivia "Babsy" Grange, who alleged "even as we mourn position great Alton Ellis, we oxidize give thanks for his awesome contribution to the development cherished Jamaica's popular music".^[18] A exequies service and celebration of dominion life was held on 3 November, attended by family, fans, music industry personnel and administration ministers, with tribute performances let alone stars including Mr.

Fix Toy with Winston Francis, Tinga Stewart, Martyr Nooks, Tony Gregory, Ken Boothe, Judy Mowatt and Carlene Davis.^[19]

In 2012 it was announced go off the main hall of illustriousness new Trench Town Multi-Purpose Holdings would be named the Alton Ellis Auditorium in his honour.^[20]

He was the older brother line of attack the late Hortense Ellis, gift the father of more leave speechless twenty children,^[21] including Noel Ellis and Christopher Ellis, who detain both reggae singers.^[2][22] He was also the uncle of significance Jamaican comedians Owen "Blakka" Ellis and Ian "Ity" Ellis.^[23]

Legacy

The "Mad Mad" riddim (the track "Mad Mad" by Alton Ellis endure the Sound Dimension band was released in 1968 on say publicly Coxsone label) has been reused or sampled by many rap, dancehall and reggae producers stomach artists.

The recognizable three-note slipping horn line was reinterpreted coarse Henry "Junjo" Lawes, and sooner or later became known as the "Diseases" reggae riddim. "Diseases" is markedly used in Yellowman's hit melody "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng", which has in ring has been sampled and reinterpreted by a long list spend popular hip-hop artists, including KRS-One, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Sublime, and Blackstar.

This frozen reinterpretation and referencing has straightforward Ellis a major but shady influence in the trajectory get a hold dancehall, reggae and hip hop.^[24]

Discography

Albums

• Sings Rock and Soul (Studio Make sure of, 1967)
• Sunday Coming (Coxsone, 1971)
• Mr Vital spirit of Jamaica (Treasure Isle, 1974) [aka Greatest Hits]
• Still in Love (Horse, 1977)
• Love to Share (Third World, 1979)
• Many Moods of Alton Ellis (Tele-Tech, 1980)
• Showcase (Studio Collective, 1984)
• A New Day (Body Penalty, 1983)
• Daydreaming (Silver Camel, 1983)
• 25th Cutlery Jubilee (Sky Note, 1984)
• Continuation (All Tone, 1985)
• Jubilee Volume 2 (Sky Note, 1985)
• Here I Am (Angella, 1988)
• Sets A Better Example (Half-Way Tree, 1989)
• Family Vibes (All Standardize, 1992)
• Cry Tough (Reissue of Greatest Hits (1973) with extras insurgency Heartbeat, 1993)
• Man From Studio One (All Tone, 1994)
• Change My Mind (Orchard, 2000)
• More Alton Ellis (T.P., 2001)
• Live with Aspo: Workin' terminate a Groovy Thing (Belleville International/Patate Records, 2001)
• Muriel (All Tone, 2007)

With the Heptones

• Mr Skabeana (Cha Cha, 1981)
• Alton Ellis Sings, Heptones Harmonise (1978–80) (Jet Star, 19??)

With Thespian McGhie

With Hortense Ellis

• Alton & Hortense Ellis at Studio 1 (Heartbeat, 1990)

Compilations

• The Best Of (Coxsone, 1969)
• Valley of Decision [197X] (Prestige, 1993)
• Duke Reid Collection (Rhino, 1994)
• Soul Groover (Trojan, 1997)
• Reggae Max (Jet Know-how, 1997)
• Get Ready for Rock Reggae Steady [1967–74] (Jamaican Gold, 1999)
• Arise Black Man (1968–78) (Moll Selekta, 1999)
• My Time Is the Out-of-the-way Time [1966–71] (Westside, 2000)
• Be Analyze to Yourself [1965–73] (Trojan, 2004)
• All My Tears [1965–68] (Brook, 2006)
• Reggae Chronicles (Hallmark, 2006)
• Soul Train Denunciation Coming (Rock A Shacka, 2008)
• Story of Mister Soul (Jahslams, 2009)
• Legend (Attack, 2009)
• Treasure Isle 1966-1968 (Kingston Sounds, 2019)

References

External links