There is an excellent website called Dancecrasher that deals with Jamaican music and its current lead article is an interview with one of the big fifties sound system guys. Trolling the states for indemand deletions you could find in the back of shops for 10cents, covering records up, pressings...Anything sound familiar chaps?

dean

Edited July 23, 201311 yr by dean jj

Brilliant article on king Edwards who gets left out most times. His uk ska lps that got reissued are well worth buying think there on double cds to. As for dance crasher check out there podcasts very high quality.

The link to the article ..............

https://www.dancecrasher.co.uk/interviewsdiscogs/king-edwards/

 

Been interested in the activities of US saxman / band leader Willis Jackson since I learnt that his 1950 Apollo release "Later For The Gatur" helped kick off the ska boom (after Coxsone Dodd played it on his sound system covered up as "Coxsone's Hop" for many years).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-joBISjtQ3M

It didn't "kick off the Ska boom", whatever that means - he was playing it for years as his theme tune at dances.  Ska was 5 years away...

Yes, I know he was playing "Later For The Gatur" for years. It became such an anthem that it eventually helped kick off the ska music era (as it heavily influenced many musicians / singers / producers on the scene back then).

If you don't wanna accept what I have said .. try this ..............

......  Jamaican ska innovator Prince Buster cites Jackson's song "Later for the Gator" as one of the first ska songs ....... nuff said.

Not true ^^^

Yes, I know he was playing "Later For The Gatur" for years. It became such an anthem that it eventually helped kick off the ska music era (as it heavily influenced many musicians / singers / producers on the scene back then).

If you don't wanna accept what I have said .. try this ..............

......  Jamaican ska innovator Prince Buster cites Jackson's song "Later for the Gator" as one of the first ska songs ....... nuff said.

 

When I used to go on holiday to Jamaica, (10 years on the trot), we

used to go to an "oldies" dance although they called it old-hits.

Along with lots of old style Ska, Calypso etc. there was always quite a bit

on R&B, Doo-wop and early soul being played alongside it.

When I asked why, the DJ said that's how it was back in the early 

sixties.

 

Kegsy

Edited July 23, 201311 yr by Kegsy

Yes, I know he was playing "Later For The Gatur" for years. It became such an anthem that it eventually helped kick off the ska music era (as it heavily influenced many musicians / singers / producers on the scene back then).

If you don't wanna accept what I have said .. try this ..............

......  Jamaican ska innovator Prince Buster cites Jackson's song "Later for the Gator" as one of the first ska songs ....... nuff said.

 

Well this time Buster is talking utter rubbish I'm afraid

Pete, I'm not trying to start a fight ....... my comment was made as it reads. I'm not trying to re-write ska history.

I became interested in Willis Jackson's music career initially via his late 60's / 70's tracks and only learned of the 'influence' of his 1950 Apollo recording later on.

 

Willis started out in the 40's, recorded for the first time at the end of the 40's and led R&B artist backing bands back then. He cut under his own name when signed to Apollo. He went on to make great cuts for the likes of Prestige, Cadet, Verve, Atlantic, Muse & more. He was still recording in 1984. He had backed up Ruth Brown in the 50's and married her. He went then on to tour the chitlin circuit behind the likes of Jackie Wilson. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm0rFfThEGk

Edited July 23, 201311 yr by Roburt

A track more on the R&B side from Willis Jackson .............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65YLpkN8_r8

Pete, I'm not trying to start a fight ....... my comment was made as it reads. I'm not trying to re-write ska history.

I became interested in Willis Jackson's music career initially via his late 60's / 70's tracks and only later learned of the 'influence' of his 1950 Apollo recording later on.

 

Willis started out in the 40's, recorded for the first time in the 50's and led R&B artist backing bands back then. He cut under his own name when signed to Apollo. He went on to make great cuts for the likes of Prestige, Cadet, Verve, Atlantic, Muse & more. He was still recording in 1984. He had backed up Ruth Brown in the 50's and married her. He went then on to tour the chitlin circuit behind the likes of Jackie Wilson. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm0rFfThEGk

 

No, I know you're not, we had a chat about this the other day re the early Blue Beats, but that music is more like jitterbug or jumpin jive, whatever it's called, it honestly bears no resemblance to ska music, it doesn't even have any musical link (as far as I can tell) to New Orleans R&B, which are the real roots of the actual ska sound.