The Revolutionaries
Encyclopedia
The Revolutionaries is a Jamaica
n reggae
band
.
of the Channel One Studios
owned by Joseph Hoo Kim
, The Revolutionaries with Sly Dunbar
on drum
s and Robbie Shakespeare on bass
, created the new "rockers" style that would change the whole Jamaica
n sound (from roots reggae
to rockers, and be imitated in all other productions. Beside Sly and Robbie
, many musicians played in the band: Bertram McLean
, Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan on guitar
, Ossie Hibbert
, Errol "Tarzan" Nelson, Robert Lyn or Ansel Collins
on keyboards
, Uziah "Sticky" Thompson
, Noel "Scully" Simms
on percussion
, Tommy McCook
, Herman Marquis
on saxophone
, Bobby Ellis
on trumpet
and Vin Gordon
on trombone
.
The band played on numerous dub albums and recorded as a backing band for artists like B. B. Seaton, Black Uhuru
, Culture
, Prince Alla
, Leroy Smart
, Gregory Isaacs
, John Holt
, The Heptones
, I-Roy
, Tapper Zukie
, Trinity
, U Brown
, Errol Scorcher
, Serge Gainsbourg
among others.
With The Aggrovators
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...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
.
Career
Set up in 1975 as the house bandHouse band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
of 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....
owned by Joseph Hoo Kim
Joseph Hoo Kim
-Career:Shortly after the Jamaican government banned gaming machines in the early 1970s, Joe Joe Hookim and his brother Ernest, abandoned their jobs as machine operators, and jumped into the music business. By 1973, the Hookims had opened their own studio, Channel One, with Joe Joe as its hands-on...
, The Revolutionaries with Sly Dunbar
Sly Dunbar
Lowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and Robbie Shakespeare on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, created the new "rockers" style that would change the whole 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 sound (from roots reggae
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
to rockers, and be imitated in all other productions. Beside Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
, many musicians played in the band: Bertram McLean
Bertram McLean
Bertram McLean, also known by his nickname "Ranchie", is a Jamaican musician active since the 1970s, who has recorded with many of Jamaica's biggest stars.-Biography:...
, Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Ossie Hibbert
Ossie Hibbert
Oswald "Ossie" Hibbert is a Jamaican organist, keyboard player and record producer.-Biography:Hibbert began to be active in Jamaican music in the mid-1970s, working as a keyboard player as part of The Professionals, The Aggrovators and The Revolutionaries, and playing on dozens of albums by...
, Errol "Tarzan" Nelson, Robert Lyn or Ansel Collins
Dave and Ansell Collins
Dave and Ansell Collins were a Jamaican vocal/instrumental duo .-History:...
on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Uziah "Sticky" Thompson
Uziah Thompson
Uziah "Sticky" Thompson is a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active since the late 1950s. He has worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums.-Biography:...
, Noel "Scully" Simms
Noel Simms
Noel Simms , often known by his nickname Scully, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae percussionist and singer.-Biography:...
on percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One Studios in the 1970s.-Biography:McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in...
, Herman Marquis
Herman Marquis
Herman 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...
on saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, Bobby Ellis
Bobby Ellis
Bobby 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:...
on trumpet
Trumpet
The 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...
and Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon
Vin 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...
on trombone
Trombone
The 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...
.
The band played on numerous dub albums and recorded as a backing band for artists like B. B. Seaton, Black Uhuru
Black Uhuru
Black Uhuru are a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru . The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Duckie Simpson always maintaining group control and ownership...
, 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 ....
, Prince Alla
Prince Alla
Prince Alla aka Prince Allah or Ras Allah is a roots reggae singer whose career began in the 1960s, and has continued with a string of releases into the 2000s.-Biography:...
, Leroy Smart
Leroy Smart
-Biography:Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned aged 2. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home and educated at Alpha Boys School, where he studied singing, drums and dancing....
, Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Isaacs
Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....
, 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...
, The Heptones
The Heptones
The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady with their three-part harmonies.-History:Leroy Sibbles, Earl...
, 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:...
, Tapper Zukie
Tapper Zukie
Tapper Zukie is a reggae deejay and producer.-Biography:Tapper was the nickname given to him by his grandmother in his youth, while Zukie was a name that came from his friends' association as a young boy - their gang was called 'The Zukies'.In 1973 his mother, concerned with Zukie's tendency to...
, Trinity
Trinity (musician)
Trinity aka Junior Brammer is a reggae deejay and producer, whose career began in the mid-1970s and continued into the 1990s.-Biography:Born in 1954, Brammer was educated at the Alpha Boys School...
, U Brown
U Brown
U Brown aka New Roy, Hugh Brown, Nuroy is a reggae deejay who released eleven albums between 1976 and 1984.-Biography:...
, Errol Scorcher
Errol Scorcher
Errol Scorcher is a reggae deejay.-Biography:Scorcher worked as a deejay on several sound systems from the early 1970s. Although his first single, "Leggo Mi Hand Babylon" was not a commercial success, he had several hits in the mid-1970s with tracks such as "Jolly Bus-Ting" and "Engineers Affair"...
, Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
among others.
The Revolutionaries
- Revival Dub Roots Now - 1976 - Well Charge
- Sounds Vol 2 - 1979 - Ballistic
- Sounds - 1976 - Channel One
- Vital Dub Well Charged - 1976 - Virgin
- Dread At The Controls - 1978 - Hawkeye
- Dub Expression - 1978 - High Note
- Earthquake Dub - 1978 - Joe Gibbs
- Jonkanoo Dub - 1978 - Cha Cha
- Reaction In Dub - 1978 - Cha Cha
- Sentimental Dub - 1978 - Germain
- Top Ranking Dub - 1978 - Rootsman
- Burning Dub - 1979 - Burning Vibrations
- Dub Out Her Blouse & Skirt - 1979 - Germain
- Dutch Man Dub - 1979 - Burning Vibrations
- Goldmine Dub - 1979 - Greensleeves
- Outlaw Dub - 1979 - Trojan
- Dawn Of Creation - Sagittarius
- Dub Plate Specials At Channel One - Jamaican Recordings
- Green Bay Dub - 1979 - Burning Vibrations
- Medley Dub - High Note
- Phase One Dubwise Vol 1 & 2 - Sprint
- Satta Dub Strictly Roots - Well Charge
- Dial M For Murder In Dub Style - 1980 - Express
- I Came, I Saw, I Conquered - 1980 - Channel One
Compilations
- Channel One - Maxfield Avenue Breakdown - Dub & Instrumentals - 1974-1979 - Pressure Sounds (2000)
- Revival - 1973-1976 - Cha Cha (1982)
- Roots Man Dub - 1979 - GG's
- Channel One Revisited Dub - Top Beat (1995)
- Macca Rootsman Dub - Jamaican Gold (1994)
With The AggrovatorsThe AggrovatorsThe Aggrovators were a dub/reggae backing band in the 1970s & 1980s, and one of the main session bands of producer, Bunny Lee. The line-up varied, with Lee using the name for whichever set of musicians he was using at any time. The band's name derived from the record shop that Lee had run in the...
- Agrovators Meets The Revolutioners At Channel One Studios - 1977 - Third World
- Rockers Almighty Dub (Dubwise, Rockers, Bass & Drums) - 1979 - Clocktower
- Agrovators Meet Revolutionaries Part II - Micron
Others
- Guerilla Dub - 1978 - Burning Sounds
- The Revolutionaries & We The People Band - Revolutionary Dub - 1976 - Trenchtown
- Bobby Ellis And The Professionals Meet The Revolutionaries - Black Unity - 1977 - Third World
- Derrick Harriott & The Revolutionaries - Reggae Chart Busters Seventies Style - 1977 - Crystal
- Sly & The Revolutionaries - Don't Underestimate The Force, The Force Is Within You - 1977 - J&L
- Sly & The Revolutionaries - Go Deh Wid Riddim - 1977 - Crystal
- Sly & The Revolutionaries With Jah Thomas - Black Ash Dub - 1980 - Trojan
- Errol Scorcher & The Revolutionaries - Rasta Fire (A Channel One Experience) - 1978 - Ballistic
- Ossie Hibbert & The Revolutionaries - Satisfaction In Dub - 1978 - Live & Love
- Pancho Alphonso & The Revolutionaries - Never Get To Zion - 1978 - Trojan