Clancy Eccles
Encyclopedia
Clancy Eccles was a Jamaica
n ska
and reggae
singer, songwriter
, arranger
, promoter, record producer
and talent scout. Known mostly for his early reggae works, he brought a political dimension to this music. His house band was known as The Dynamites.
singing; In his words: "One of my uncles was a spiritual revivalist, who always did this heavy type of spiritual singing, and I got to love that". Eccles's professional singing career began as a teenager, working the north-coast hotel circuit in the mid-1950s. In his late teens, he moved to Ocho Rios
, where he performed at night in various shows, with artists such as The Blues Busters
, Higgs & Wilson and Buster Brown. He moved to Kingston
in 1959, where he started his recording career. He first recorded for Coxsone Dodd
, who had organized a talent show
in which Eccles took part.
Eccles had a Jamaican hit in 1961 with the early ska
song "Freedom", which was recorded in 1959, and was featured on Dodd's sound system for two years before it was released. It was one of the first Jamaican songs with socially-oriented lyrics. The song discussed the concept of repatriation to Africa
, an idea developed by the growing Rastafari movement
. The song became the first Jamaican hit to be used for political purposes; Alexander Bustamante
, founder of the Jamaican Labour Party and at that time Chief Minister of Jamaica adopted it for his fight against the Federation of the West Indies in 1960. In the following years, Eccles had other successful songs, mixing boogie
/rhythm and blues
influences with ska rhythms, such as "River Jordan" and "Glory Hallelujah".
In 1962, he started promoting concerts and set up his Christmas Morning talent show; first with Dodd, then on his own. He organized concerts for The Clarendonians
in 1963, and for The Wailers in 1964 and 1965. He launched other talent search contests, with Battle of the Stars, Clancy Eccles Revue, Independent Revue and "Reggae Soul Revue, from which emerged stars such as Barrington Levy
and Culture
.
Starting in 1963, he recorded with producers such as Charlie Moo (Leslie Kong
's business partner) and the husband of Sonia Pottinger
, Lyndon. He couldn't make a living from his music, so he quit in 1965 to work as a tailor
in Annotto Bay. During this period, he made stage outfits for musicians such as Kes Chin, The Mighty Vikings, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Carlos Malcolm
and The Blues Busters
.
He went back to music in 1967, producing his own recordings as well as those of other artists. He scored a hit with Eric 'Monty' Morris' reggae song "Say What You're Saying", and with his own song "Feel The Rhythm", one of several records that were instrumental in the shift from rocksteady
to reggae. Eccles has also been credited with deriving the name 'reggae' from 'streggae', Kingston slang for a good-time girl. Eccles' first hit, "What Will Your Mama Say" which was released by the recently-created United Kingdom
label, Pama Records
. In 1968, his song "Fattie Fattie" became a skinhead
reggae classic, along with his productions of recordings by the toasting DJ King Stitt
("Fire Corner", "Van Cleef", "Herbman Shuffle"). Eccles recorded many organ
-led instrumentals with his session band The Dynamites (same band has Derrick Harriott
's Crystalites), featuring Winston Wright. In 1970, Eccles helped pave the way to the dub music
genre by releasing an instrumental version of "Herbman Shuffle" called "Phantom", with a mix focusing on the bass line.
Eccles launched different record labels for his works: Clansone, New Beat and Clandisc (the latter also the name of a sub-label set up by Trojan Records
for Eccles' UK releases). He recorded artists such as Alton Ellis
, Joe Higgs
, the Trinidian
Lord Creator ("Kingston Town"), Larry Marshall, Hemsley Morris, Earl Lawrence, The Beltones, Glen Ricks, Cynthia Richards
, Buster Brown and Beres Hammond
. Appreciated by musicians for his fairness and sense of equity, he helped Lee Perry set up his Upsetter record label in 1968 after Perry left Dodd's employment, and helped Winston 'Niney' Holmes
(later known as 'The Observer') record his first hit as a producer in 1971 ("Blood & Fire").
A socialist
militant, Eccles was appointed as an adviser on the music industry to Michael Manley
's People's National Party
(PNP) and took part in Jamaica's 1972 prime ministerial elections by organizing a "Bandwagon" featuring musicians such as Bob Marley
& the Wailers, Dennis Brown
, Max Romeo
, Delroy Wilson
and Inner Circle, performing around the island in support of Manley's campaign. Throughout the 1970s, he remained close to Manley and wrote several songs in praise of the PNP program, including his hits "Power For The People", "Rod Of Correction" or "Generation Belly".
Eccles' political interests meant that he spent less time on music, although in the late 1970s, Eccles had further success as a producer with recordings by Tito Simon and Exuma the Obeah Man, as well as collaborations with King Tubby
. After the 1970s, new Eccles recordings were rare, and he concentrated on live concert promotion and re-issues of his back catalogue. In the 1980s, Eccles slowed down his musical activities, and he never met success again, apart from a few political songs, such as "Dem Mash Up The Country" in 1985. Eccles died on June 30, 2005 in Spanish Town Hospital from complications of a heart attack
.
Eccles' son, Clancy Eccles Jr., has followed his father into the music business, initially performing as simply "Clancy".
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, promoter, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and talent scout. Known mostly for his early reggae works, he brought a political dimension to this music. His house band was known as The Dynamites.
Biography
Son of a tailor and builder, Eccles spent his childhood in the countryside of the parish of Saint Mary. Eccles had an itinerant childhood due to his father's need to travel Jamaica seeking work. He used to regularly attend church, and he became influenced by spiritualSpiritual (music)
Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
singing; In his words: "One of my uncles was a spiritual revivalist, who always did this heavy type of spiritual singing, and I got to love that". Eccles's professional singing career began as a teenager, working the north-coast hotel circuit in the mid-1950s. In his late teens, he moved to Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios
Ocho Ríos is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica. Although he landed in many spots along the Jamaican coast, many believe that Christopher Columbus first set foot on land in Ocho Rios...
, where he performed at night in various shows, with artists such as The Blues Busters
The Blues Busters
The Blues Busters were a Jamaican vocal duo formed in 1960, comprising Philip James and Lloyd Campbell. The Blues Busters were the most consistently popular Jamaican male duo of the early 1960s, and were part of the Jamaican party that performed at the 1964 New York World's Fair...
, Higgs & Wilson and Buster Brown. He moved to Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
in 1959, where he started his recording career. He first recorded for Coxsone Dodd
Coxsone Dodd
Clement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, CD was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond...
, who had organized a talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
in which Eccles took part.
Eccles had a Jamaican hit in 1961 with the early ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
song "Freedom", which was recorded in 1959, and was featured on Dodd's sound system for two years before it was released. It was one of the first Jamaican songs with socially-oriented lyrics. The song discussed the concept of repatriation to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, an idea developed by the growing Rastafari movement
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
. The song became the first Jamaican hit to be used for political purposes; Alexander Bustamante
Alexander Bustamante
Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante GBE, National Hero of Jamaica was a Jamaican politician and labour leader....
, founder of the Jamaican Labour Party and at that time Chief Minister of Jamaica adopted it for his fight against the Federation of the West Indies in 1960. In the following years, Eccles had other successful songs, mixing boogie
Boogie
Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...
/rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
influences with ska rhythms, such as "River Jordan" and "Glory Hallelujah".
In 1962, he started promoting concerts and set up his Christmas Morning talent show; first with Dodd, then on his own. He organized concerts for The Clarendonians
The Clarendonians
The Clarendonians were a ska and rocksteady vocal group from Jamaica, active from the mid to late 1960s.-History:The Clarendonians were originally Fitzroy "Ernest" Wilson and Peter Austin , the duo coming together in 1963 in their native Clarendon...
in 1963, and for The Wailers in 1964 and 1965. He launched other talent search contests, with Battle of the Stars, Clancy Eccles Revue, Independent Revue and "Reggae Soul Revue, from which emerged stars such as Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy
Barrington Levy is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.-Career:In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977...
and Culture
Culture (band)
Culture was a Jamaican roots reggae group founded in 1976. Originally they were known as the African Disciples.The members of the trio were Joseph Hill , Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes ....
.
Starting in 1963, he recorded with producers such as Charlie Moo (Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong was a Chinese Jamaican record producer.-Career:Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston...
's business partner) and the husband of Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD was a Jamaican reggae record producer.The most important Jamaican woman involved in music business, Sonia Pottinger was the first female Jamaican record producer and produced artists from the mid 1960s until the mid 1980s.Married to music producer Lyndon Pottinger, she...
, Lyndon. He couldn't make a living from his music, so he quit in 1965 to work as a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
in Annotto Bay. During this period, he made stage outfits for musicians such as Kes Chin, The Mighty Vikings, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Carlos Malcolm
Carlos Malcolm
Carlos Malcolm is a Jamaican trombonist, percussionist and bandleader who was most popular in the late 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:Carlos Malcolm was born in Panama c.1935 to Jamaican parents and grew up in Kingston. His father, Wilfred Malcolm , went to Panama and worked as a bookkeeper in the...
and The Blues Busters
The Blues Busters
The Blues Busters were a Jamaican vocal duo formed in 1960, comprising Philip James and Lloyd Campbell. The Blues Busters were the most consistently popular Jamaican male duo of the early 1960s, and were part of the Jamaican party that performed at the 1964 New York World's Fair...
.
He went back to music in 1967, producing his own recordings as well as those of other artists. He scored a hit with Eric 'Monty' Morris' reggae song "Say What You're Saying", and with his own song "Feel The Rhythm", one of several records that were instrumental in the shift from rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
to reggae. Eccles has also been credited with deriving the name 'reggae' from 'streggae', Kingston slang for a good-time girl. Eccles' first hit, "What Will Your Mama Say" which was released by the recently-created United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
label, Pama Records
Pama Records
Pama records was a United Kingdom record label active during the 1960s and 1970s. Initially focused on soul music, it became one of the major outlets for reggae in the UK.-History:...
. In 1968, his song "Fattie Fattie" became a skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
reggae classic, along with his productions of recordings by the toasting DJ King Stitt
King Stitt
King Stitt, born Winston Spark , is a Jamaican DJ.- Biography :King Stitt is the oldest living Jamaican deejay. Sparkes was given the nickname Stitt as a boy and decided to use it as his stage name, becoming King Stitt when he was crowned 'king of the deejays'...
("Fire Corner", "Van Cleef", "Herbman Shuffle"). Eccles recorded many organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
-led instrumentals with his session band The Dynamites (same band has Derrick Harriott
Derrick Harriott
Derrick Harriott is a singer and record producer. He has produced recordings by Big Youth, Chariot Riders, The Chosen Few, Dennis Brown, The Ethiopians, Keith & Tex, The Kingstonians, Rudy Mills, Scotty, Sly & Revolutionaries, and Winston McAnuff.-Biography:As a student at Excelsior High School,...
's Crystalites), featuring Winston Wright. In 1970, Eccles helped pave the way to the dub music
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
genre by releasing an instrumental version of "Herbman Shuffle" called "Phantom", with a mix focusing on the bass line.
Eccles launched different record labels for his works: Clansone, New Beat and Clandisc (the latter also the name of a sub-label set up by Trojan Records
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
for Eccles' UK releases). He recorded artists such as Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis
Alton Nehemiah Ellis, OD, was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.-Biography:Ellis was born in 1938 and...
, Joe Higgs
Joe Higgs
Joe Higgs was a reggae musician from Jamaica. In the late 1950s and 1960s he was part of the duo Higgs and Wilson together with Roy Wilson...
, the Trinidian
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
Lord Creator ("Kingston Town"), Larry Marshall, Hemsley Morris, Earl Lawrence, The Beltones, Glen Ricks, Cynthia Richards
Cynthia Richards
Cynthia Richards is a Jamaican singer whose career began in the 1960s.-Biography:Born in Disney Land, Kingston, Jamaica, in 1944, Richards attended the Denham Town Primary School where after impressing teachers with a performance at an end-of-term concert she was encouraged to appear on the Vere...
, Buster Brown and Beres Hammond
Beres Hammond
Beres Hammond is a reggae singer known in particular for his romantic lovers rock and soulful voice...
. Appreciated by musicians for his fairness and sense of equity, he helped Lee Perry set up his Upsetter record label in 1968 after Perry left Dodd's employment, and helped Winston 'Niney' Holmes
Niney the Observer
Winston Holness, better known as Niney the Observer , is a Jamaican record producer and singer who was a key figure in the creation of many classic reggae recordings dating from the 1970s and early 1980s....
(later known as 'The Observer') record his first hit as a producer in 1971 ("Blood & Fire").
A socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
militant, Eccles was appointed as an adviser on the music industry to Michael Manley
Michael Manley
Michael Norman Manley ON OCC was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica . Manley was a democratic socialist....
's People's National Party
People's National Party
The People's National Party is a social democratic and social liberal Jamaican political party, founded by Norman Manley in 1938. It is the oldest political party in the Anglophone Caribbean and one of the main two political parties in Jamaica. Out of the two major parties, it is considered more...
(PNP) and took part in Jamaica's 1972 prime ministerial elections by organizing a "Bandwagon" featuring musicians such as Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
& the Wailers, Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae...
, Max Romeo
Max Romeo
Max Romeo is a reggae and roots reggae recording artist who has achieved chart success in his home country, and in the UK. Romeo was responsible for launching an entirely new sub-genre of reggae, whose overtly suggestive lyrics caused an outcry but took a massive hold of the music scene regardless...
, Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer.-Biography:Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1961 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen...
and Inner Circle, performing around the island in support of Manley's campaign. Throughout the 1970s, he remained close to Manley and wrote several songs in praise of the PNP program, including his hits "Power For The People", "Rod Of Correction" or "Generation Belly".
Eccles' political interests meant that he spent less time on music, although in the late 1970s, Eccles had further success as a producer with recordings by Tito Simon and Exuma the Obeah Man, as well as collaborations with King Tubby
King Tubby
King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...
. After the 1970s, new Eccles recordings were rare, and he concentrated on live concert promotion and re-issues of his back catalogue. In the 1980s, Eccles slowed down his musical activities, and he never met success again, apart from a few political songs, such as "Dem Mash Up The Country" in 1985. Eccles died on June 30, 2005 in Spanish Town Hospital from complications of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Eccles' son, Clancy Eccles Jr., has followed his father into the music business, initially performing as simply "Clancy".
Singles before 1967
- River Jordan / I Live And I Love - 1960 - Blue Beat produced by Coxsone Dodd
- Freedom / More Proof - 1960 - Blue Beat produced by Coxsone Dodd
- Judgement / Baby Please - 1963 - Island RecordsIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
produced for Charlie Moo - I'm The Greatest - 1963 - produced by Mike Shadad
- Glory Hallelujah - 1963 - Island Records produced by Coxsone Dodd
- Sammy No Dead / Roam Jerusalem - 1965 - Ska Beat produced by Lyndon Pottinger.
- Miss Ida - 1965 - Ska Beat
Clancy Eccles
- Clancy Eccles - Freedom - 1969 - Clandisc/Trojan
- Clancy Eccles - 1967-1983 - Joshua's Rod Of Correction - Jamaican GoldJamaican GoldJamaican Gold is an independent record label from Netherlands specialized in Jamaican music reissues.Aad Van Der Hoek founded the label in 1992 and has since been working closely with Jamaican producers and sound engineers, transferring usually the music directly from the original mastertape in...
(1996) - Clancy Eccles - Top Of The Ladder - 1973 - Big Shot/Trojan
Clancy Eccles & The Dynamites
- The Dynamites - Fire Corner - 1969 - Clandisc
- Clancy Eccles & The Dynamites - Herbsman Reggae - 1970 - Clandisc
- Clancy Eccles & The Dynamites - Top Of The Ladder - 1973 - Big Shot/Trojan
- The Dynamites - The Wild Bunch Are The Dynamites - 1967-1971 - Jamaican Gold (1996)
- Clancy Eccles & The Dynamites - Nyah Reggae Rock - 1969-1970 - Jamaican Gold (1997)
Clancy Eccles productions
- King Stitt - Reggae Fire Beat - 1969-1970 - Jamaican Gold (1996)
- Cynthia Richards & Friends - Foolish Fool -1970 - Clandisc
- Tito Simon - Just Tito Simon - 1973 - Horse/Trojan coproduced by Joe Sinclair
- Various - Clancy Eccles - Fatty Fatty - 1967-1970 - Trojan (1998)
- Various - Clancy Eccles Presents His Reggae Revue - Rock Steady Intensified - 1967-1972 - Heartbeat RecordsHeartbeat RecordsHeartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington , Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood...
(1990) - Various - Kingston Town: 18 Reggae Hits - Heartbeat Records (1993)
- Various - Clancy Eccles - Feel The Rhythm - 1966-1968 - Jamaican Gold (2000)
- Various - Clancy Eccles' Rock Steady Reggae Revue at Sombrero Club - 1967-1969 - Jamaican Gold (2001)
- Various - Clancy Eccles' Reggae Revue At The Ward Theatre - 1969-1970 - Jamaican Gold (2001)
- Various - Clancy Eccles' Reggae Revue At The VIP Club - 1970-1973 - Jamaican Gold (2001)
- Various - Clancy Eccles' Reggae Revue At The Carib Theatre - 1973-1986 - Jamaican Gold (2001)
- Various - Clancy Eccles: Freedom - An Anthology - Trojan (Oct. 2005)