Phil Pratt
Encyclopedia
Phil Pratt, born George Phillips (born 1942 in Kingston, Jamaica
) is a Jamaica
n reggae
singer and record producer
.
Phil Pratt worked at Studio One for Coxsone Dodd
as a box-loader during the rocksteady
period when Lee Perry was operating there, before moving to the United Kingdom
in the early 1960s. He returned to Jamaica in 1965, and as a singer, he recorded a song called "Safe Travel" but it was not released at the time. He moved to Ken Lack
's label Caltone and recorded a few tunes there. In 1966, he decided to get into production and while at Caltone recorded the young Horace Andy
. During the rocksteady
period, he recorded singers like Ken Boothe
, John Holt
and Pat Kelly
, backed by session men such as Lynn Taitt
, his productions appearing on the Caltone, Wiggle Spoon and WIRL labels before launched his own label, Jon Tom.
Throughout the 1970s, he enjoyed successes with Ken Boothe ("Artibella", "I'm Not For Sale"), Al Campbell
, Delroy Wilson
, Bobby Kalphat, and Keith Poppin, and had a major hit with "My Heart Is Gone" by John Holt, Dennis Brown
's "Let Love In" and "Black Magic Woman", and Pat Kelly's "How Long", "Soulful Love" and "They Talk About Love". More particularly, from 1971 to 1975 he produced many DJs including Dennis Alcapone
("This Is Butter"), Dillinger
("Platt Skank"), I-Roy
("My Food Is Ration") or U Roy ("Real Cool") and Jah Woosh
("Psalm 21" and "Zion Sound"), but he remains mostly known for the singles he recorded in 1972 with Big Youth
(among his earliest songs), "Tell It Black" and "Phil Pratt Thing".
Pratt mainly recorded in the Channel One Studios
working with the musicians who would later be called The Revolutionaries
but also teamed with Lee Perry again, at Black Ark Studios producing among others Linval Thompson
's first single. He set up his own label Terminal in London
in order to release his productions worldwide. He moved to London by the beginning of the 1980s and opened a restaurant there.
In 1985, he produced the Clash of the Andy's album, featuring Horace Andy and Patrick Andy
.
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...
) is a Jamaica
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 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 and 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...
.
Phil Pratt worked at Studio One 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...
as a box-loader during the 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...
period when Lee Perry was operating there, before moving to the 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...
in the early 1960s. He returned to Jamaica in 1965, and as a singer, he recorded a song called "Safe Travel" but it was not released at the time. He moved to Ken Lack
Ken Lack
Ken Lack was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae record producer active in the latter half of the 1960s, who also ran the Caltone and JonTom record labels.-Career:...
's label Caltone and recorded a few tunes there. In 1966, he decided to get into production and while at Caltone recorded the young Horace Andy
Horace Andy
Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....
. During the 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...
period, he recorded singers like Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe OD is a Jamaican recording artist.-Biography:Ken Boothe was born in the Denham Town area of Kingston in 1948, the youngest of seven children, and began singing in school...
, John Holt
John Holt (singer)
John Holt is a reggae singer and songwriter.-Biography:Holt was born in Kingston in 1947. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns...
and Pat Kelly
Pat Kelly (musician)
Pat Kelly is a reggae singer whose career began in the late 1960s.- The Techniques :Kelly was born in Kingston in 1949. After leaving school, he spent a year studying electronics in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States during 1966, before returning to Jamaica...
, backed by session men such as Lynn Taitt
Lynn Taitt
Lynn Taitt was a reggae guitarist born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, closely associated with Jamaican rocksteady music.-Biography:...
, his productions appearing on the Caltone, Wiggle Spoon and WIRL labels before launched his own label, Jon Tom.
Throughout the 1970s, he enjoyed successes with Ken Boothe ("Artibella", "I'm Not For Sale"), Al Campbell
Al Campbell
Al Campbell is a Jamaican reggae singer active since the late 1960s.-Biography:Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Campbell's singing career began in church, where his father was a preacher, and Al would sing to raise funds...
, 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...
, Bobby Kalphat, and Keith Poppin, and had a major hit with "My Heart Is Gone" by John Holt, 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...
's "Let Love In" and "Black Magic Woman", and Pat Kelly's "How Long", "Soulful Love" and "They Talk About Love". More particularly, from 1971 to 1975 he produced many DJs including Dennis Alcapone
Dennis Alcapone
Dennis Alcapone is a reggae DJ and producer.-Career:Smith initially trained as a welder and worked for the Jamaica Public Services...
("This Is Butter"), Dillinger
Dillinger (musician)
Dillinger is a reggae artist.-Biography:As a young man growing up in Kingston, Dillinger would hang around Dennis Alcapone's El Paso sound system...
("Platt Skank"), I-Roy
I-Roy
Roy Samuel Reid better known as I-Roy was a Jamaican DJ who had a very prolific career during the 1970s.-Biography:...
("My Food Is Ration") or U Roy ("Real Cool") and Jah Woosh
Jah Woosh
Neville Beckford , better known as Jah Woosh was a Jamaican reggae deejay and record producer, primarily known for his work in the 1970s.-Biography:...
("Psalm 21" and "Zion Sound"), but he remains mostly known for the singles he recorded in 1972 with Big Youth
Big Youth
Manley Augustus Buchanan , better known as Big Youth , is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s....
(among his earliest songs), "Tell It Black" and "Phil Pratt Thing".
Pratt mainly recorded in the Channel One Studios
Channel One Studios
Channel One is a recording studio in Maxfield Avenue, West Kingston, Jamaica. The studio was built by the Hoo Kim brothers in 1972, and has had a profound influence on the development of reggae music....
working with the musicians who would later be called The Revolutionaries
The Revolutionaries
The Revolutionaries is a Jamaican reggae band.-Career:Set up in 1975 as the house band of the Channel One Studios owned by Joseph Hoo Kim, The Revolutionaries with Sly Dunbar on drums and Robbie Shakespeare on bass, created the new "rockers" style that would change the whole Jamaican sound The...
but also teamed with Lee Perry again, at Black Ark Studios producing among others Linval Thompson
Linval Thompson
Linval Thompson is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and record producer.-Biography:Thompson was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, but spent time with his mother in Queens, New York, and his recording career began around the age of 20 with the self-released "No Other Woman," recorded in Brooklyn, New...
's first single. He set up his own label Terminal in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in order to release his productions worldwide. He moved to London by the beginning of the 1980s and opened a restaurant there.
In 1985, he produced the Clash of the Andy's album, featuring Horace Andy and Patrick Andy
Patrick Andy
Patrick Andy is a reggae singer, whose stage name is a reference to his similarity to the older reggae singer Horace Andy.-Biography:...
.
Partial discography
- Phil Pratt - Star Wars Dub - 1978 - Burning Sounds
- Various Artists - The Magnificent Seven - 1978 - Burning Music
- Various Artists - Hits of the Past - Sun Shot (1994)
- Various Artists - Raw Roots volume 1 - 1970-1975 - Jet Set RecordsJet Set RecordsJet Set Records is a French record label specialized in Jamaican music reissues.Apart from artists' compilations they also focused on record producer works with albums on Leslie Kong, Phil Pratt and Derrick Harriott-Discography:...
(1998) - Various Artists - Raw Roots volume 2 - 1971-1978 - Jet Set Record
- Various Artists - The Best Of Sunshot - 1971-1975 - Jet Set Records
- Various Artists - Phil Pratt Thing - Pressure SoundsPressure SoundsPressure Sounds is a British record label, specializing in releasing reggae music. It is run by Pete Holdsworth although Adrian Sherwood was involved at the inception of the imprint...
(1999) - Various Artists - Safe Travel - 1966-1968 - Pressure Sounds (2005)