Soul Defenders

Soul Defenders at Studio One - Heartbeat

Around 1970/71 the house band at Studio One changed again. The Soul Vendors and The Sound Dimension band had been battling it out for a good few years. And then along came the ‘The Boys From Bog Walk’ as Coxsone Dodd called them.

Rhythm and lead guitar: Jah Privy Lead guitar: Val Whittaker Drums, keyboards, and vocals: Vin Morgan Bass: Festus Walker Percussion: Joseph Hill Keyboards: Leroy Sibbles, Bobby Kalphat, Richard Ace, Aubrey Adams, Alton Ellis, Jackie Mittoo and included other musicians like Bobby Kalphat also on keyboards,And even Ernest Ranglin on guitar.

The sound they came up with was perhaps the roughest sound to emerge from Studio One.

It fitted the music of the time artists like Burning Spear and Freddy McKay both recording albums with the band.

Freddy as three tracks on this set - both of them massive reggae hits. - ‘High School Dance’ and ‘ Picture On The Wall’ The Soul Defenders create a very spaced out bass heavy sound. With the emphasis on the drum and the bass. It was the first move away from the traditional ‘lead’ instruments of horns, guitar or keyboards.