Federal/Wildflower

Federal – Reggae Hits – Wild Flower

When reggae music first made its

breakthrough in the late sixties, it was the

Beverley’s sound that went international.

From that point on every producer/studio

was looking for that formula - a sound.

Leslie Kong’s big rivals at the time - Coxsone,

Duke Reid, Prince Buster - never came

anywhere close to the success of Beverley’s.

And so this went on, right into the seventies.

By then Bunny Lee had a sound, and was

quickly joined by Federal.

Lloyd Charmers took the backbone of the

Now Gen Band and added people like Willie

Lindo and created the XYZ Band.

It was this band that brought reggae music

into the pop charts once again. First with Ken

Boothe ‘Everything I Own’ and then with

Johnny Nash’s ‘Tears On My Pillow’, written

by Federal artist Ernie Smith.

This album celebrates that sound, hits that

should have been bigger hits!! Bob Andy’s

‘Fire Burning’, Ernie Smith ‘Duppy Gunman’,

even Father Richard Ho Lung’s ‘Sinner’. A

great set.. More than a compilation - real

reggae history.