Alton Ellis

Alton Ellis

Alton Ellis

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www.reggae-vibes.com

Reggae music pioneer Alton Ellis has passed away.

Alton Ellis O.D. ((born Alton Nehemiah Ellis on September 1, 1938) has

died at the age of 70 in London, England. Officials at Hammersmith

Hospital announced Sunday morning October 12th 2008 that Ellis, who

had cancer of the lymph glands, died peacefully Saturday morning 4:45

AM after he had been hospitalized for several weeks.

THE GODFATHER OF ROCKSTEADY.

Alton Ellis, dubbed the Godfather of Rocksteady, was one of Jamaica's

all-time favorite vocalists. The singer came to prominence in the late

1960s when the frantic Ska beat slowed awhile to allow soulful

crooners, such as Alton, to come to the fore. Like so many other

talented singers, he got his start and gained valuable experience

under the tutelage of producer and Studio One label founder, sir

Coxsone Dodd. However before trying to establish a career as a singer,

Alton was a dancer. It was with his then-partner Eddy Perkins that he

did his first commercial oriented recording session for Coxsone Dodd

at Federal Studio in 1959. The duo cut the moving prison ballad

"Muriel" with Clue J's Blues Blasters backing them. Not long after

cutting the follow-up "My Heaven", Perkins left to try a solo career

in the United States, leaving Ellis a solo act.

It wasn't until the fast paced tempos of Ska slowed down and riddims

became more emphatic, that Alton Ellis became one of the major stars

of Rocksteady and Early Reggae. During the transitional period -- from

early 1965 to 1967, the year of Rocksteady domination -- the so-called

rudeboy music was popular. Alton Ellis always refused to glorify the

rudies -- the violent bad boys. He and his group The Flames

(consisting of his brother Leslie Ellis, David "Baby G" Gordon and

Winston Jarrett) consistently took an anti-rudie stand on record which

can be heard on five classic singles for producer Duke Reid, "Don't

Trouble People", "Dance Crasher", "Cry Tough", "Blessings Of Love",

and "The Preacher". He then decided it was safer to concentrate on

more romantic concerns, including many of the most masterful

interpretations of US Soul material to emerge from Jamaica. Some five

years later he returned to warning the rudeboys with the exceptional

"Big Bad Boy" for Keith Hudson's Mafia label.

Alton Ellis popularized the Rocksteady genre, which relies on vocal

harmonies and has a slower tempo and heavier bass than Ska, with his

song "Rock Steady". During the brief flowering of the genre -- between

the autumn of 1966 and the summer of 1968 -- he moved between

Brentford Road (Studio One) and Bond Street (Treasure Isle) and

recorded many classic records with Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid, all of

them being chart toppers in Jamaica. Among his best-known recordings

were "I'm Just A Guy", "Let Him Try", 'Ain't That Loving You", and

"Girl I've Got A Date", the latter of which became his biggest hit and

signature song.

Not satisfied with the fact that he was still living in the ghetto

despite having all these hit tunes under his belt, and seeing that the

producers' studios were getting bigger and bigger, he left Jamaica and

went to Canada in early 1969. But he came back in 1970 and continued

to provide both Dodd and Reid with important hits. Some were in the

gloriously romantic strain with which he had been successful before,

but he also proved to be equal at home with the type of socially

conscious material that was to become increasingly popular in the

1970s. Most notable among these were such as "African Descendants",

"Set A Better Example", and the incisive "Blackish White", all

recorded at Studio One. Furthermore he recorded noteworthy tunes for

producers like Clancy Eccles, Lloyd "Matador" Daley, Herman Chin-Loy,

Vincent Chin, and Bunny Lee.

After having toured England in early 1967 he went back there again in

1971, and during a brief stay he recorded a few songs including "Don't

Care", "True Born African", "Keep On Yearning", and "I Can't Find

Out". In 1972 he returned to Jamaica and tried to break through as a

producer, but with little success. He then decided to return to

Canada. During his seven-months stay he teamed up with old musical

friends Lyn Taitt and Jackie Mittoo for various gigs. Alton then moved

again, this time back to England, where he has based himself

(intermittently) ever since. There he has worked with local producers

like Lloyd Coxsone, Phil Pratt, Junior Lincoln, and Ephraim Barrett on

assorted projects. Promising deals with Island Records and A & M

Records failed to pan out, but Alton Ellis continued to produce his

own material including the excellent self-produced album "Still In

Love" (1977). Furthermore he was involved in the beginnings of Janet

Kay's career and a cover version of "I'm Still In love With You",

formed the basis for Althea & Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking" - a UK

number 1 in 1978. He also opened up the Alltone record shop in

Brixton, London, and started a record label of the same name.

Even though he had moved to England, he occasionally recorded for

Jamaican producers such as Sonia Pottinger, Sugar Minott, Henry

"Junjo" Lawes, and King Jammy. With these recordings he didn't enjoy

the success he had in his Rocksteady and early Reggae years, however

it didn't prevent him from recording new material including albums

such as "Love To Share", "Sets A Better Example", "Mr. Skabeana",

"More Alton Ellis" and "Man From Studio One". In an interview with Dr.

Buster Dynamite he says about that period in his career... "I was

working very hard - doing stage shows in England, Germany, USA, and

Japan. But instead of going on tour doing fifteen shows, I was only

offered mostly one-off shows. So I came back home with little

earnings. Also a problem I had to face was that I wasn't consistent

anymore in writing new songs. It's really a creative problem, because

when I was young I could write a top song instantly. Now when I'm

older my way of thinking has changed."

In the past 15 years, with the revival of the rocksteady trend in

Europe, he began performing again. Besides stage shows he also

headlined several festivals in the US and Europe. In December 2007, he

was admitted to hospital in London for treatment of cancer of the

lymph glands, but he returned to live performance after receiving

chemotherapy. One of the last shows he did was on August 10th 2008 at

London's Jazz Cafe, where he was joined by his son Christopher.

Varese, a contributor to the "CHATTY MOUTH : REGGAE, RANTS AND

REASONING" discussion board, was there and reported...

"Alton was very tired and had to be helped off stage to have a

breather for a couple of songs while Chris sang the tunes. He seemed

upset to have to do that, and seemed generally unhappy with his

performance and voice. Luckily the crowd that was there would have

loved it even if he'd merely smiled at them, and there was a lot of

love towards him as well as a fair bit of concern... He said he'd just

got back from JA the day before, where he'd been singing a lot-

something like 10 gigs and TV appearances and recording 40+ specials.

He said he didn't think he should really be doing the gig at the Jazz

Cafe and also muttered darkly about having to fulfill contracts at

various places."

In 1994, he was awarded the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican

government in recognition of his vital contribution to the island's

popular culture, and in 2006, he was inducted into the International

Reggae and World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.

Ellis, who lived in the London suburb of Northolt, is survived by his

wife, more than 20 children from different relationships,including

reggae singers Noel Ellis and Christopher Ellis, and many

grandchildren.

Sources: "The Rough Guide To Reggae", Dr. Buster Dynamite's

sleevenotes of "Get Ready For Rock Reggae Steady", and

www.roots-archives.com

Alton Ellis - Mr Soul Of Jamaica - Treasure Isle

Thanfully this album has now been available again on reissue for a

good time. Hopefully that will remain the position. Too many great

reggae albums remain locked away. Which is just wrong. People need

this music. It expalins why Alton Ellis was given an hero's welcome

when he returned to Ja a few years ago. The man along with so many

others from that era is a great talent. Who's still capable, given the

right support of producing major musical works that would match those

on this magnificent collection.

Alton Ellis - Showcase - Studio One

Thankfully this set from the famous studio and producer Coxsone Dodd,

does not contain reggae recuts of pop tunes or funky reggae tunes that

mar other albums on the label. Well perhaps 'Alphabetically Yours' is

not a Coxsone or reggae music original, but at least it might have

been, and it does fit in well with the other 7 titles on this superb

album. Even if both the album cover and label insists that it's only a

7 track showcase album. The missing track is 'Teardrops' making 8

altogether.

Alton Ellis - A New Day - Body Music - 1983

'A New Day' is hopefully a significant title for this set as perhaps

it will inspire Alton at last to begin building the career for which

he laid such strong foundations. He has been positive and emnbarked on

a self production travelling to Channel One to lay rhythms with the

Radics. He has then returned to London to voice at Easy Street with

the impeccable Blackstone in harmonic attendance. Also lending their

crisp assistance are Tan Tan and Bammy Rose on horns. A worthwhile

collection.