Youthman Promotion ft Nitty Gritty, Tenor Saw, Sugar Minott 1985

Youthman Promotion ft Nitty Gritty, Tenor Saw, Sugar Minott 1985

Nitty Gritty
Glen Augustus Holness, 1957, August Town, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, d. 24 June 1991, Brooklyn, New York, USA. As computerized rhythms became popular in Jamaica, Nitty Gritty rose to fame alongside Tenor Saw, King Kong and Anthony Red Rose. The latter’s vocal delivery was similar in style to Nitty Gritty’s own gospel-tinged wail. The second eldest of 11 children of church-going parents, he trained as an electrician before forming the Soulites. He sang ‘Let The Power Fall On I’ in 1973 with Dennis Brown, George Nooks and the Mighty Diamonds for Joe Gibbs. His first solo recording, ‘Every Man Is A Seller’, recorded for Sugar Minott’s Youth Promotion label, was not released for another 10 years. He recorded several tracks at Channel One after working briefly with Danny Dread on the Zodiac sound system, and he also recorded two tracks for Derrick ‘Bubbles’ Howard of the African Brothers before moving to George Phang in 1984. He joined King Jammy in 1985. Their first release, ‘Hog Inna Minty’, was an instant success. Subsequent releases, ‘Good Morning Teacher’, ‘Sweet Reggae Music’, ‘Run Down The World’ and ‘Gimme Some Of Your Something’, were all significant hits. In 1986, his debut set Turbo Charged was released. He shared the credit with King Kong for Musical Confrontation in the same year. He relocated to New York shortly after this, and his work became more varied as a result. He made singles for Uptempo, Black Solidarity and Skengdon. General Penitentiary, recorded with the Studio One band in 1987, showed Nitty Gritty back on form. In 1989, an album for Blacker Dread was released, including material dating back to his first visit to the UK in 1986, but after this his musical activity declined somewhat. Sadly, he was shot dead at the age of 34 in Brooklyn, New York, outside Super Power record shop.


Tenor Saw
One of the most important figures in early ragga and dancehall, Tenor Saw (born Clive Bright, 1966, Kingston, Jamaica) is best-known for his 1985 hit "Ring the Alarm," a song based on the then-ubiquitous "Stalag 17" rhythm which proved to be one of the biggest -- and catchiest -- hits to come out of reggae's transition into the electronic age. Tenor Saw followed it up with Fever, an LP that -- while it didn't contain his signature song -- proved to be a minor classic of early dancehall, full of simple, catchy melodies, synthesized rhythm-section parts, and Tenor Saw's floating vocals. (The CD reissue of Fever also appended dub versions of most of the original tracks.) With such a promising start to his career, it seemed Tenor Saw would be around for quite a long time; sadly, his life was cut short in August 1988, when he was hit by a car in Houston, TX, and killed. The album Wake the Town was released posthumously in 1992.


Sugar Minott
Lincoln Barrington Minott was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on May 25, 1956. He began his career in the sound systems while still a child, working as a selector for the Sound of Silence Keystone outfit, before launching his own Gathering of Youth sound system just as he hit his teens. There, too, he carried on merely as the selector. However, in 1969, Minott decided to take the mike himself, not as a DJ, but as a singer, one third of the African Brothers roots trio, alongside Tony Tuff and Derrick Howard. The group initially made its way around the amateur talent show circuit, but eventually linked up with the Micron label. African Brothers released a number of singles over the next few years, including "Party Night," "Gimme Gimme African Love," and "A Di System" cut with producer Jah Bunny. The trio also began self-producing (its first attempt was "Torturing"), and then launched its own Ital label. By this time, the trio's Abyssinians influence was becoming prominent, as can be heard on "Righteous Kingdom," "Youths of Today," and "Lead Us Father."

In 1974, African Brothers cut "Mysterious Nature" with producer Rupie Edwards, which brought them to the attention of Studio One. Their debut song for that label, "No Cup No Broke, was also their last, and the trio split to pursue solo careers. (Tony Tuff would continue his cultural career before switching with great success to dancehall.) In 1987, the Uptempo label gathered up the African Brothers singles for the compilation album Collectors Item, crediting it to Sugar Minott & the African Brothers. Coxsone Dodd was keen to keep Minott, whose talents extended beyond vocals and into session work as both a guitarist and drummer. However, the artist had an even more innovative talent tucked away -- an extraordinary ability to compose new lyrics to old songs.

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