The Revolutionaries Explained

The Revolutionaries (sometimes known as "Revolutionaires") was 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 Bertram "Ranchie" McLean on bass,[1] created the new "rockers" style that would change the whole Jamaican sound (from roots reggae to rockers, and be imitated in all other productions). Beside Sly, many musicians played in the band: Robbie Shakespeare on bass, JoJo Hookim, Bertram McLean, and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan on guitar, Ossie Hibbert, Errol "Tarzan" Nelson, Robbie 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.

In 1976, The Revolutionaries attained further respect from the Sound System and dub fraternity when they recorded a track named after author Alex Haley's character, Kunta Kinte, which would become one of reggae music's most recognisable riddims and which for many years was only played by selected sound systems on dubplate.[2] The track Kunta Kinte was based on an earlier tune, Beware Of Your Enemies, released from Jamaica's Channel One. The 1976 dub version released by The Revolutionaries became a sound system anthem for many years on dubplate, and also inspired a UK version produced by Mad Professor in 1981. It has also inspired Drum and Bass and jungle covers, and was consistently played by Jah Shaka.[3]

The band played on numerous dub albums and recorded as a backing band for artists like B.B. Seaton, Carl Malcolm, Black Uhuru, Culture, Prince Alla, Leroy Smart, Gregory Isaacs, John Holt, The Heptones, Mighty Diamonds, I-Roy, Tapper Zukie, Trinity, U Brown, Errol Scorcher, Serge Gainsbourg among others.

Discography

The Revolutionaries

Compilations

With The Aggrovators

Others

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jamaica Observer Limited. Jamaica Observer. 2019-02-26.
  2. Web site: 20/05/2019: "Kunte Kinte" by The Revolutionaries. Mymusic365.co.uk. 20 May 2019.
  3. Web site: Riddimology 001: "Kunta Kinte". Dub-stuy.com. 5 August 2018.

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