J'can Popular Music:  Rock Steady

By Winston Barnes

Around the mid 1960, while Ska was still very popular, as The Blue Beat, in Jamaica there was a change in the rhythm, with a new dance step to match. Hopeton Lewis explained, rather interestingly that Rock Steady came about mostly totally by accident.

In 1966, during a recording session, Hopeton Lewis was finding it difficult to keep pace with the fast moving Ska riffin his own words-because he was lazy. Studio personnel like Jackie Jackson, Gladstone Anderson as well as one of the major pioneers of the music, Lyn Taitt were present. Lewis says a decision was taken "to pull back the music," with the drummer saying that "This one ya really rock", thus creating the name and the sound "Rock Steady".

The first recording session, at Federal Record Manufacturing, was "Music Got Soul" next there was "Pick Yourself Up", but the great hit record later but released first was the classic "Take It Easy" actually released some days before Lewis’ birthday 1966. This was followed by "Rocka Shacka" "Sounds And Pressure" and "Cool Cool Collie".

The major switch was from Ska’s profusion pf percussive instruments, catchy guitar riff anf the abundance of horns, to Rock Steady’s bold bass lines conveyed in a very laid back fashion, hence the name. Along with this change came a contraction in the size of orchestras, with an increase in the number of solo and group performers. The Gaylads, Desmond Deller & The Aces, The Paragons, The Techniques emerged, with the Wailers, The Maytals Delroy Wilson , keeping pace. Bob Andy, Roy Shirley and Ken Boothe were the hitmakers of the day, while newcomer Hopeton Lewis maintained his popularity.

Rock Steady music also saw the increase in social comment/message type songs. A whole mini-epoch was created for example, was created around "Rudie" songs, which were actual comments on ghetto realities of the day. Titles included "Rude Boy Train" "Rudie Gone A Jail" etc. Desmond Dekker and The Aces were not only the leaders in this genre, but had one of the finest international hits in "Poor Me Israelites" even today it is still played as an oldie on North American radio.

Alton Ellis, Under Duke Reid’s production, also made a great contribution to this era with the classic "Girl I’ve Got A Date". The Paragons scored with a string of hits like "Memories By The Score" "On The Beach" and "Wear You To The Ball", indicating the significance attached to vocal groups at this stage. Slim Smith and the Techniques also crafted Curtis Mayfield hits in songs like "Little Did You Know" music which has caused many to be convinced that the music from the sixties is the best we’ve created so far.

Whereas Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, The Mighty Vikings, among others, gained much popularity at this time, the more popular recordings of the period were done by Duke Reid’s Tommy NcCook and the Supersonics. Alton Ellis, hits including most of those from The Paragons and the Techniques all came from the Duke Reid/Supersonics combination. Leroy Sibbles and the Heptones were headliners for the Studio One label of Coxsone, the most memorable hit being the not fit for airplay. "I Need A Fat Girl Tonight" Down on North Stree the Kong brothers were holding fort with perfomers like Desmond Dekker and The Aces, among others.

Lyrical Content

Reference has, therefore been made about the lyrical content of the music of the period. It is most interesting to note that, like its progenitor, Mento, Rock Steady’s lyrics were both observer and commentator. Reference has also been drawn to the Rudie aspect of the Jamaican social scene then.

One of the finest most poignant examples is 1968’s "Everything Crash". A song which called attention to the spate of strikes being experienced by a country only six years into independence…. "Down to the police them too… This song earned the dublious distinction of being one of the earliest Jamaican recordings to be restricted from airplay. Not by the way, because of immoral or suggestive lyrics.

This period also saw the introduction of the Festival Song Competition at Independence celebration time at summer. Toots and The Maytals took the lead with winners like "Sweet and Dandy" while Desmond Dekker * The Aces scored with "Intensified Festival". Toots and The Maytals also made some social commitment/observation records as in "5446 That’s My Number" – a recap of time spent in prison, apparently for ganja possession. A song/record of a personal experience so powerfully conveyed it became one of the biggest hitsongs of the day.

Again, the major producers – the major innovative producers of the times, those in touch directly with the true originators of the music, were yet, C.S. "Coxsone" and Duke Reid with the latter having something of a slight edge. This because of the number of hits which appeared on his label. Federal Record Manufacturing played a major role. Some of the very first Jamaican Recordings were done at Federal, and when Rock Steady’s initiator, Hopeton Lewis was signed to the company when he helped to usher in the Rock Steady Sound.

Lyn Taitt who helped to fashion the very sound, worked between Sonia Pottinger’s High Note Label and Duke’s Treasure Isle, as did Baba Brooks. Taitt was at that fateful session when Hopeton Lewis was too lazy to keep up with the Ska beat. Baba Brooks horn can be heard through many of the Techiques hits. Roy Shirley actually mentioned Taitt by name on his "Get On The Ball".

Rock Steady bore many ironies as has been noted. Firstly it came about rather accidentally, through a quirk of fate. Further, the fact that the period created so many truly memorable and classic songs almost totally belie the fact that Rock Steady reigned supreme for only about three years. Rock Steady began to feel the winds of charge sometime late 1968 into early 1969. The Mighty Reggae beat was on its way and coming at us all.