The Ethiopians
Encyclopedia
The Ethiopians were a ska
, rocksteady
, and reggae
vocal group
, founded by Leonard Dillon (9 December 1942, Port Antonio
, Jamaica
– 28 September 2011), Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris.
for Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd in 1966. Dillon had previously released some mento
song
s under the name Jack Sparrow. Around late 1966, Morris left the Ethiopians. Having left Dodd, the Ethiopians started recording at Dynamic Studios for the W.I.R.L. label
, releasing the rocksteady "Train to Skaville", which was their first success. In 1968, they recorded the song "Everything Crash", their first big hit
. The song criticised the political situation in Jamaica at the time, such as water rationing and power cuts that led to unrest; such as an incident in which thirty one people were shot by the police. "Everything Crash" was later covered
by Prince Buster
. "The Whip" is another of their enduring songs from that period.
In 1969 they released the album
, Reggae Power, and in 1970, Woman a Capture Man. Between 1970 and 1975, the Ethiopians switched from producer
to producer, releasing songs such as "No Baptism", "Pirate", and "Good Ambition". Reid left the group in 1974. In September 1975, Taylor was killed by a van
while he was crossing a road. In 1977, Dillon's fellow Ethiopians members Bro Fatty, Bro Ewing, Bro T, Mello and Hychi Dread released the album Slave Call, under The Ethiopians name.
In 1991, Dillon recorded the solo
album On the Road Again. Toward the end of the 1990s, Dillon formed a new Ethiopians lineup with female backing vocalists Jennifer Lara and Merlene Webber, who appeared on the 1999 album, Tuffer Than Stone.
After developing a brain tumor, on 28 September 2011 Dillon died at his daughter's home in Kingston, Jamaica
.
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...
, 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...
, 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...
vocal group
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, founded by Leonard Dillon (9 December 1942, Port Antonio
Port Antonio
Port Antonio is the capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, about 60 miles from Kingston. It had a population of 12,285 in 1982 and 13,246 in 1991...
, 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...
– 28 September 2011), Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris.
History
The group started out recordingSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd in 1966. Dillon had previously released some mento
Mento
Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It has its roots in calypso and other Jamaican folk music. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box — a large mbira in the...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s under the name Jack Sparrow. Around late 1966, Morris left the Ethiopians. Having left Dodd, the Ethiopians started recording at Dynamic Studios for the W.I.R.L. label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, releasing the rocksteady "Train to Skaville", which was their first success. In 1968, they recorded the song "Everything Crash", their first big hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
. The song criticised the political situation in Jamaica at the time, such as water rationing and power cuts that led to unrest; such as an incident in which thirty one people were shot by the police. "Everything Crash" was later covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Prince Buster
Prince Buster
Cecil Bustamente Campbell, O.D. , better known as Prince Buster, and also known by his Muslim name Muhammed Yusef Ali, is a musician from Kingston, Jamaica. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music...
. "The Whip" is another of their enduring songs from that period.
In 1969 they released the album
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...
, Reggae Power, and in 1970, Woman a Capture Man. Between 1970 and 1975, the Ethiopians switched from 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...
to producer, releasing songs such as "No Baptism", "Pirate", and "Good Ambition". Reid left the group in 1974. In September 1975, Taylor was killed by a van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
while he was crossing a road. In 1977, Dillon's fellow Ethiopians members Bro Fatty, Bro Ewing, Bro T, Mello and Hychi Dread released the album Slave Call, under The Ethiopians name.
In 1991, Dillon recorded the solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album On the Road Again. Toward the end of the 1990s, Dillon formed a new Ethiopians lineup with female backing vocalists Jennifer Lara and Merlene Webber, who appeared on the 1999 album, Tuffer Than Stone.
After developing a brain tumor, on 28 September 2011 Dillon died at his daughter's home in Kingston, Jamaica
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...
.
Discography
- Engine '54: Let's Ska and Rock Steady - (1968) - Jamaican Gold
- Reggae Power - (1969)
- Woman a Capture Man - (1970) - TrojanTrojan RecordsTrojan 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...
- Slave Call - (1977) - HeartbeatHeartbeat 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...
- Dread Prophecy - (1989) - NighthawkNighthawk RecordsNighthawk Records was founded by Robert Schoenfeld who began operations in 1976 with the release of four vintage post-war blues reissue LPs that Living Blues Magazine called "the major event of the year for lovers of post-war blues." Today this series consists of nine volumes of post-war blues...
- Let's Ska and Rock Steady - (1990) - VP RecordsVP RecordsVP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:...
- Clap Your Hands - (1993) - Lagoon
- Sir J.J. & Friends - (1993) - Lagoon
- Owner Fer De Yard - (1994) - Heartbeat
- Train to Skaville - (1999) - Charly
- Tuffer Than Stone - (1999) - Warriors
- Skaville Princess - (2000) - Dressed to Kill
- Train to Skaville: Anthology 1965-1975 - (2002) - Trojan - compilationCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
[]
External links
- [ Ethiopians biography at the Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
] - Biography at Reggaetrain.com
- Discography at Rollingstone.com