Marcus Garvey (album)
Encyclopedia
Marcus Garvey is the third album
by the reggae
singer Burning Spear
, released in 1975 on Island Records
, ILPS 9377. The album is named after the Jamaican National Hero
Marcus Garvey
. A dub
version of it was released four months later as Garvey's Ghost
.
This was the first album by the group recorded for Island Records, whose founder Chris Blackwell
had been instrumental in breaking Jamaican reggae artists Jimmy Cliff
, Toots and the Maytals, and Bob Marley
to an international audience. It was produced by Lawrence Lindo, better known by his handle taken from the assassin of Lee Harvey Oswald
, Jack Ruby
. Apparently, upon their first meeting, Lindo and vocalist Winston Rodney realized the opening track to this album, "Marcus Garvey." The backing musicians, whom Lindo named The Black Disciples band, had been assembled from The Soul Syndicate and The Wailers
.
On July 27, 2010, this album was remastered and released by Universal's
Hip-O Records
reissue imprint in tandem with the dub version
on one compact disc
.
The album was listed in the 1999 book The Rough Guide: Reggae: 100 Essential CDs.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the 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 Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
, released in 1975 on Island Records
Island Records
Island 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...
, ILPS 9377. The album is named after the Jamaican National Hero
Order of National Hero (Jamaica)
The Order of National Hero is an honour awarded by the government of Jamaica. It is a part of the Jamaican honours system that has been in place since 1969.-Description:...
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
. A dub
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...
version of it was released four months later as Garvey's Ghost
Garvey's Ghost
Garvey's Ghost is the fourth album by the reggae singer Burning Spear, released in 1976 on Island Records, ILPS 9382. Each track is a dub version of its correspondent song on the group's third album, Marcus Garvey.-Content:...
.
This was the first album by the group recorded for Island Records, whose founder Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
had been instrumental in breaking Jamaican reggae artists Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
, Toots and the Maytals, and 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...
to an international audience. It was produced by Lawrence Lindo, better known by his handle taken from the assassin of Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
, Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby (record producer)
Lawrence Lindo , better known as Jack Ruby, was a Jamaican record producer and sound system operator, best known for his 1970s productions of artists such as Burning Spear....
. Apparently, upon their first meeting, Lindo and vocalist Winston Rodney realized the opening track to this album, "Marcus Garvey." The backing musicians, whom Lindo named The Black Disciples band, had been assembled from The Soul Syndicate and The Wailers
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Marley & The Wailers were a Jamaican reggae, ska and rocksteady band formed by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in 1963. Additional members were Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Cherry Smith and Aston and Carlton Barrett...
.
On July 27, 2010, this album was remastered and released by Universal's
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
Hip-O Records
Hip-O Records
Hip-O Records is a record label, currently part of Universal Music Group, which specializes in reissues and compilations. Their Hip-O Select label is currently in the midst of releasing the Complete Motown Singles, a series of fourteen box sets which include both sides of every 45 from Motown...
reissue imprint in tandem with the dub version
Garvey's Ghost
Garvey's Ghost is the fourth album by the reggae singer Burning Spear, released in 1976 on Island Records, ILPS 9382. Each track is a dub version of its correspondent song on the group's third album, Marcus Garvey.-Content:...
on one compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
The album was listed in the 1999 book The Rough Guide: Reggae: 100 Essential CDs.
Track listing
All tracks written by Winston Rodney and Phillip Fullwood except as indicated.- "Marcus Garvey" — 3:27
- "Slavery Days" — 3:34
- "The Invasion" (W. Rodney, C. Paisley, P. Fullwood) — 3:22
- "Live Good" (Marcus Rodney, Mackba Rodney, Winston Rodney) — 3:14
- "Give Me" (W. Rodney) — 3:11
- "Old Marcus Garvey" — 4:03
- "Tradition" (D. Hines, R. Willington, W. Rodney) — 3:30
- "Jordan River" (W. Rodney, M. Lawrence, P. Fullwood) — 3:00
- "Red, Gold & Green" (A. Folkes, W. Rodney, P. Fullwood) — 3:14
- "Resting Place" (W. Rodney) — 3:10
Burning Spear
- Winston Rodney - lead vocals
- Delroy HinesBurning SpearWinston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
- harmony vocals - Rupert WillingtonBurning SpearWinston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
- harmony vocals
The Black Disciples
- Bobby EllisBobby EllisBobby Ellis born 2 July 1932, is a Jamaican trumpet player. He has worked with many reggae artists including Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, and The Revolutionaries.-Biography:...
- trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Vincent "Trommie" GordonVin GordonVin Gordon is a Jamaican trombone player.-Biography:Gordon grew up in Jones Town, Kingston, Jamaica as one of eight children. He went to Kingston's catholic Alpha Boys School where he learned to play trombone and string bass. One of his tutors was Lennie Hibbert...
- tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, clavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various... - Carlton "Sam" Samuels - fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
- Herman MarquisHerman MarquisHerman Marquis is a Jamaican saxophone musician who has played with many reggae artists including Burning Spear. He recorded for Arthur "Duke" Reid in the 1960s and was a member of The Revolutionaries and The Upsetters in the 1970s...
- alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall - tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Tyrone "Organ D" DownieTyrone DownieTyrone Downie is a Jamaican keyboardist/pianist who is most known for his involvement as a member of Bob Marley and The Wailers. He studied at Kingston College and joined the wailers in the mid-1970s, making his recording début with the band on Rastaman Vibration, having previously been a member of...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (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... - Bernard "Touter" Harvey - piano, organ, clavinet
- Earl "Chinna" Smith - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Valentine "Tony" ChinValentine ChinAlbert Valentine "Tony" Chin is a Jamaican guitarist, who has collaborated with many reggae artists including Burning Spear and Johnny Clarke. Chin is an original member of The Soul Syndicate, a backing band on countless reggae tracks, which evolved from The Rhythm Raiders. They recorded for Keith...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Robbie "Rabbi" Shakespeare - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Aston "Family Man" BarrettAston BarrettAston Barrett , often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian.-Biography:...
- bass - Leroy "Horsemouth" WallaceLeroy WallaceLeroy "Horsemouth" Wallace is a Jamaican drummer who worked for several years at Studio One, and has worked with numerous reggae artists including The Gladiators, Inner Circle, Prince Far I, Sound Dimension, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Ijahman Levi and Pierpoljak. He starred as himself in the...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production credits
- Engineers: George Philpott and Errol Thompson
- Recorded at Randy's Recording Studio, North Parade, Kingston, Jamaica
- Mixed at Joe Gibbs StudioJoe Gibbs (record producer)Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
, Retirement Crescent, Kingston, Jamaica - Special thanks to Lloyd Coxone