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Rocksteady

Alton & Eddy, then the Flames

Alton Ellis

Alton Ellis began in 1959 in a duo, Alton & Eddy, with Eddy Parkins, recording for Coxsone Dodd while he worked as a labourer. The duo ended when Parkins moved to America, and Ellis went on to lead Alton Ellis and the Flames, with his brother Leslie and others. His sister Hortense also became a singer. His first album, Alton Ellis Sings Rock & Soul, came out on Studio One in 1967, and that year he toured Britain with Ken Boothe and the Soul Vendors. He recorded for Bunny Lee, Keith Hudson and Herman Chin Loy, spent some years in Canada and settled in Britain in 1972. In London he opened the All-Tone record shop and label. He toured Europe with the French band ASPO in his sixties and died in London in October 2008.

Treasure Isle, Duke Reid

The Paragons

The Paragons were a Kingston vocal group that recorded for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label from the mid-1960s. Bob Andy was an early member, and the classic line-up was the trio of John Holt, Garth Evans and Howard Barrett. Holt had won 28 talent contests by the age of twelve, and Andy wrote songs and delivered records at Studio One before going on to his own career, including hits as Bob & Marcia with Marcia Griffiths. Their sweet, close harmonies over slow rocksteady rhythms made them one of Reid's main acts. Their songs were later covered by UB40, Horace Andy, Dennis Brown and Massive Attack. Holt left in 1970, and the group re-formed in the late 1970s. Both Holt and Andy received Jamaica's Order of Distinction.

Saint Catherine, 1967

Freddie McKay

Freddie McKay was born in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, in 1947. He made his first recordings with Prince Buster in 1967, and the same year he was recording for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label, at the height of rocksteady. He then had a productive spell at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One, backed by the Soul Defenders, where he cut his first album. Through the 1970s and early 1980s he moved with the times into reggae and roots, working with producers including Alvin Ranglin, Joe Gibbs, Augustus Pablo and King Tubby, and recording with the Roots Radics. He died in November 1986, aged about 39, after finishing a last album at Channel One with Sly & Robbie. His son became known as Brushy One String.

The Collection