Search Results for "Amy Wachtel"

Certainly eccentric, possibly mad (even his record company bio acknowledges it!), Lee “Scratch” Perry is reggae’s most influential producer, with a career that spans the entire history of the music. He started at Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One label, first as a talent scout, then as producer. Moving on to other labels, he recorded hit after…

Just as dub reggae anticipated funk and rock remixes, toasters — chanting reggae DJs — prefigured rap. U-Roy (Ewart Beckford) was one of Jamaica’s first DJs to graduate from sound systems to chart success in the late ’60s. (Indeed, for several weeks early in 1970, he had three records — “Wear You to the Ball,”…

The Cool Ruler, Gregory Isaacs, is one of the best-loved and most durable reggae singers. Highly prolific (he writes nearly all his material) and business-savvy (he runs his own Jamaican label, African Museum), Isaacs’ voice is still the key to his success. His delivery is marked by a combination of ice and fire rare even…

The leading second generation reggae vocal group, the potent and influential Black Uhuru was formed in Jamaica in 1974 by Derrick “Duckie” Simpson; after a couple of false starts, he enlisted Michael Rose, whose quivery voice makes him sound like a Rasta cantor, and recorded Love Crisis — competent but hardly distinctive (although the best…

Jamaican disc jockey Michael Campbell changed his name, moved to England and made it as a recording artist. Dread at the Controls (the name of his radio show and, later, record label) is a modest debut, but World War III is an out-and-out sonic adventure. Mixed up (and down) by Scientist, the LP features Dread’s…

One of the biggest reggae stars to emerge in the ’80s, Eek-a-Mouse (born in Kingston as Ripton Joseph Hylton) has no trouble maintaining a high profile. Not only is he six-foot-six, his distinctive voice is hard to miss: he sings with a nasal twang (like a higher-pitched version of Michael Rose), but punctuates his vocals…

For more than 20 years, Winston Rodney — better known as Burning Spear — has been one of reggae music’s most consistent and enduring forces, if not its most essential embodiment. Singing in a unique, soulful growl, the beloved Spear is known for his commitment to the African chant style, as well as his potently…

Born in Jamaica, Shinehead (Edmund Carl Aiken) grew up in the Bronx, combining his two cultural heritages to become one of the first roots-rock-rappers. As a member of the early-’80s African Love Soundsystem, he surprised New Yorkers with his wacky, superb lyrical content and performance. Now signed to a major label, he has thus far…

The cornerstone of contemporary roots, the nonpareil rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare has probably played on more reggae records than anyone else. Musical partners for many years beginning in various Jamaican studio bands, the pair founded Taxi — a production company and label that worked with many top Jamaican vocalists, including Gregory…

Formed in Jamaica in 1976 and comprised of Joseph Hill, Kenneth Dayes and Albert Walker, Culture is one of reggae’s greatest roots harmony trios. Lead singer Hill invokes the passion of a Burning Spear, while the others are reminiscent of the earthen and soulful rootical wails of the Itals. Despite a string of fine albums,…

A true reggae original, dubmaster Augustus Pablo is as closely identified with his instrument — the melodica — as most jazz musicians are with theirs. Horace Swaby was a Kingston pianist when he borrowed a melodica; the simple instrument’s unusual sound caught the ears of local record producers, who hired him to give their dub…

As a dub poet, Mutabaruka (born in Jamaica as Allan Hope) inevitably inspires comparisons to Linton Kwesi Johnson, but where LKJ’s poems are often ironic and his delivery knife sharp, Mutabaruka’s work is more direct, thick with dread. Unlike Dennis Bovell’s gorgeous formal arrangements on Johnson’s LPs, Mutabaruka is more spontaneous. His poems dictate the…

Though Tapper (Tappa) Zukie isn’t active as a performer in the reggae mainstream, his toasting, which combines staunchly Rasta lyrics and heavy roots accompaniment, has always enjoyed an audience. His rock notoriety was boosted in the late ’70s via an association with the Patti Smith Group; Man Ah Warrior was reissued by Lenny Kaye on…

Aswad is one of Britain’s best and most popular reggae bands. The trio’s work is characterized by consistently excellent musicianship (Aswad’s adjunct horn section is superlative) and a sound that is modern yet authentic. (Although it’s become less so as the group has become increasingly oriented to the pop mainstream.) Their easygoing groove may resemble…

Albino reggae toaster Yellowman (Winston Foster) parlayed his unusual looks and talent into overnight success. His music is versatile and engagingly comic in a dancehall style. Like his counterparts in American rap, he’s often swaggering, boasting about his toasting and his luck with the ladies. Because his strut is goodnatured and backed up by fierce…