Alton Ellis
("The Godfather, Mr. Soul, Soul of Jamaica")
born - Alton Nehemiah Ellis
September 1, 1938
(Kingston, Jamaica)
died - October 10, 2008
(West London, UK)
One of Jamaica's first singers, this silky-smooth artist made his first hit, 'Muriel' in 1961 as part of a duo with Eddie Perkins (Alton & Eddie). Producer Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd oversaw a string of subsequent successes. Eventually Ellis, seeing little financial remuneration, left for Coxsone's arch rival, Duke Reid, recording on the Treasure Isle label.
Tunes like "Dance Crasher," "Cry Tough," and "Girl I've Got a Date" gave Reid his first chance to pass Dodd in the popular mind as Jamaica's heaviest studio and sound system.
By 1966 the red-hot double-time ska beat had given birth virtually overnight to a much slower, hiccupping rhythm dubbed "rocksteady," and it was Alton who was to be its midwife. "One evening in the studio," Alton recalls, "the bass man didn't show up. So Jackie Mittoo, the keyboardist, had to play the bass pattern on the piano with his left hand, but he couldn't hold it steady, and we all thought the line was so fresh and nice. When the bass player turned up next time, Jackie insisted that he play what Jackie was playing with his left hand. That's how rocksteady was born; we called it so that night."
Coxsone lured Alton back, and by 1968 Alton was the undisputed King of Rock-Steady with shots like "Willow Tree," "I'm Just a Guy," and "Sitting in the Park," often highlighted with his trademark yelp of "Looka here now!" Again, the money failed to follow the hits, and somewhat disillusioned, Alton spent several years in the US and Canada before pulling up stakes and moving permanently to England in 1973. Scores of songs were issued steadily, cementing his reputation as one of the most consistent reggae artists around. By 1984 he was celebrated internationally for his 25 years in show business, making a pair of critically acclaimed appearances at Jamaica's Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1983 and 1985. From 1989 on, he has been releasing compilations on his own Alltone label of his early masterpieces, and he even recorded Man from Studio One, a new 12-inch for Coxsone in 1991. One of the real gentlemen of reggae, Alton is a satisfying and scintillating singer, one of Jamaica's extraordinary gifts to the world, right up there with Bob Marley.
-- Courtesy (Roger Steffens, All-Music Guide) --
 Jamaica's most soulful singer, celebrated 30 years in the business several years ago and yet he is still making important records. In many ways he epitomizes the story of reggae vocalists: a start in the business at a very early age, massive popularity for a limited period, and a gradual decline in prominence while continuing to make excellent records. In addition to his songwriting abilities and voice, Ellis' particular gift was his ability to take R&B or soul songs and place them in a specifically Jamaican context, and so make them 'reggae songs' rather than mere cover versions. Ellis was born into a musical family, and he first recorded in the late 50s as part of a duo with singer Eddy Perkins for Randys and Studio One as Alton And Eddy. They enjoyed some success in the R&B style and 'Muriel' was a massive hit for them. Perkins departed soon afterwards for a solo career and Alton continued with Studio One at Brentford Road, as well as working with Coxsone Dodd 's arch-rival in the business, Reid, Duke, at his Treasure Isle Studio in Bond Street, initially as Alton Ellis And The Flames. He came to undisputed prominence with the rise of rocksteady in 1965-66, when the ska beat slowed down and instrumental records became less important. This 'cool' music gave singers far greater freedom to express themselves - they no longer had to battle against the frantic ska pace and 'noisiness', and Alton Ellis reigned supreme - his 'Get Ready - Rock Steady' was one of the first records actually to use the term. Both Dodd and Reid made many classic records with Ellis as he moved between Brentford Road and Bond Street, but he recorded the definitive rocksteady album for Treasure Isle - Mr Soul Of Jamaica - while his Studio One output is collected on three albums, all of which have their high points.
In the late 60s and early 70s he went on to record for some of Jamaica's finest producers and he achieved two huge hit records for Daley, Lloyd - 'Deliver Us' and 'Back To Africa', while a cover version of 'Too Late To Turn Back Now' that he made for Randys in the early 70s, has remained a firm favourite with the reggae audience ever since. He toured the UK in the 60s as a vocalist for Studio One's Soul Vendors band, and he returned to England in 1972, where he has based himself (intermittently) ever since. However, he has now sadly admitted his disillusionment with the reggae business. He accepts its machinations with a dignified resignation, just as in the early days when his songs were covered and no royalties were forthcoming: 'I was just proud that, whoever, would do an Alton Ellis song.' He was involved in the beginnings of Kay, Janet 's career and a cover version of one of his greatest songs, 'I'm Still In Love With You', formed the basis for Althea And Donna 's 'Uptown Top Ranking' - a UK number 1 in 1978 - but his records and live shows are now few and far between.
-- Courtesy (Encyclopedia of Popular Music) --
 The Godfather, Mr. Soul, Soul of Jamaica, Alton Ellis has been wailing and crying his distinctive songs of love and strife for nearly 40 years. A champion of both Studio One and Treasure Isle studios in the mid-late sixties, Alton's songs have practically become anthems in Jamaica. There is a conviction and urgency within Alton's voice which both expresses the joy and pain of affairs of the heart, and the indignation of injustice.
Alton recorded "Muriel" with vocal partner Eddy Perkins (Alton & Eddy) in 1959, making him one of Jamaica's early recording pioneers. For this recording, Alton and the band gathered around one microphone to record the song. In 1965, during the peak of the Ska era, Alton scored with "Dance Crasher," imploring hooligans to cease wrecking dances with their thuggery. This song cemented his close relationship with producer Duke Reid of Treasure Isle studios.
Ska's evolution into the slower, more sensual Rocksteady proved to be the ideal musical framework for Alton's material. In 1966, he hit with the smash "Girl I've Got a Date," and shortly thereafter was one of the first artists to coin the phrase "Rock Steady" in his seminal song of the same title. He was a star and enjoyed hit after hit during the next few years at Treasure Isle, both solo or accompanied by his harmony group, the Flames. Alton was as equally adept at penning and delivering his own fine songs as he was in adapting American material, completely naturally and seemingly all his own.
Alton was one of the few Jamaican singers on Treasure Isle to simultaneously establish another very successful relationship with Duke Reid's archrival and principal competitor, Coxsone Dodd of Studio One. For Coxsone, Alton continued to wax highly memorable material, which was collected on the lp "The Best of Alton Ellis." As well as recording for Studio One, Alton toured England with the Soul Vendors, the band who accompanied Alton on the lp.
As Reggae dawned in 1968, Alton began recording for other famous and well-thought of Jamaica etc. producers such as Lloyd Daley and Keith Hudson, with whom he cut the conscious "Back To Africa," "Lord Deliver Us," and "Big Bad Boy."
In 1972, Alton, disillusioned with the recording scene in Jamaica, moved to England in search of a better way of life. There he started his own label, Altone Records. He continued to record throughout the seventies and eighties, and even though there was little drop in the quality of his output, he drifted from the limelight and many fans wondered what happened to him.
In 1990 Heartbeat Records released "Soul Groover," a fine collection of his work for Treasure Isle, and throughout the '90s Alton began performing to excellent note in both Europe and the U.S.
-- Courtesy (Mark Gorney) -- |
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