The Wailing Souls

Last updated

The Wailing Souls
Also known asThe Renegades
The Little Roys
The Classics
Atarra
Pipe and the Pipers
Origin Kingston, Jamaica
Genres Rocksteady, reggae
Years active1968 (1968)–present
Labels Studio One
Island
Channel One
Massive
Greensleeves
Live & Learn
Chaos
Zoo
MembersWinston "Pipe" Matthews
Lloyd "Bread" McDonald
Past membersGeorge "Buddy" Haye
Oswald Downer
Norman Davis
Joe Higgs
Rudolph "Garth" Dennis
Ziggy Thomas
Maisha
Website wailingsouls.com

The Wailing Souls (originally The Renegades) are a Jamaican reggae vocal group whose origins date back to the 1960s. The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years with Winston "Pipe" Matthews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald the only constant members. They have been nominated for Grammy Awards three times.

Contents

ROTR - 2018 -Wailing Souls-1-25-Pipe.jpg

History

ROTR - 2018 -Wailing Soulsl-Bread.jpg

Formation and Studio One era

The group was originally formed as The Renegades in 1966, comprising Winston "Pipe" Matthews, Lloyd "Bread" McDonald, and George "Buddy" Haye, who had attended the same vocal classes held by Joe Higgs in the early 1960s as The Wailers. [1] [2] [3] Matthews had previously recorded as a member of The Schoolboys for Prince Buster. [1] [4]

They recorded as backing singers with Ernest Ranglin and released their own debut single, "Lost Love", before recording several singles for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One label, including "Back Out With It", "Row Fisherman Row", and "Mr. Fire Coal Man". [1] [4] [5] The group became The Wailing Souls in 1968 and in the same year Haye left and new members Oswald Downer and Norman Davis joined. [1] Under the new name they recorded singles such as "Dungeon" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal". [1]

1970s

In 1970 the group began working with producer Lloyd Daley, releasing the "Gold Digger" single. [1] [5] In this period, their singles were often released under names such as The Little Roys, The Classics, Atarra, and Pipe and the Pipers, to avoid confusion with The Wailers. [1] [6] They went on to record with members of the Wailers later that year on the Tuff Gong singles "Harbour Shark", "Walk Walk Walk", and "You Should've Known Better". [1]

By 1974 Downer and Davis had left, and original member Buddy Haye returned, along with Joe Higgs, although Higgs' tenure in the band was short-lived as he was recruited for a US tour with Jimmy Cliff. [1] [5] His replacement was Rudolph "Garth" Dennis, a founder member of Black Uhuru. [1]

In the mid-1970s, The Wailing Souls association with producer Joseph Hoo Kim and his Channel One Studios brought them a string of hits, backed by house band The Revolutionaries, including "Back Biter", "Very Well", "Things and Time", "Jah Jah Give Us Life", and "War". [1] [2] In 1977 the band started their own 'Massive' label, further hits following in "Bredda Gravalicious" and "Feel the Spirit". [1] [6] The band's success reached another level in 1978 when their Wild Suspense album, featuring remixed tracks from their singles, was released internationally by Island Records. [1] [6]

1980s

In the early 1980s they recorded with Sly and Robbie for the duo's Taxi label and continued to record at Channel One for producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes, singles from this era including "Fire House Rock", which was the title track from their 1980 album, released by Greensleeves Records. [1] In the same era they also worked with other producers such as Linval Thompson (Wailing). [1] From 1981 to 1984 they were largely based in the United States, and on their return to Jamaica, Haye stayed behind as did Dennis, until he returned to Jamaica and Black Uhuru in 1985. [1] [6]

Remaining members Matthews and McDonald launched a new era of the group in 1986 with singer Ziggy Thomas added to the line-up, working with producer Delroy Wright and going on to release the albums Lay It on the Line (1986) and Kingston 14 (1987), and recording Reggae in a Firehouse in 1988, although it was not released until 1991. [1] [6] They moved on to work with King Jammy on the 1989 album Stormy Night which was successful enough in the US to prompt the group to return there in 1991.

Major label era and later work

After moving to the US they added new member Maisha and signed to Sony's Chaos label. [1] Their first major label album, All Over the World (1992) received a Grammy nomination the following year, and they became the first reggae group to appear on The Tonight Show . [1] [6] Four tracks from the album were used on the soundtrack of the film Cool Runnings . [7] A second album for Sony, Live On (1994), this time released on the Zoo label, failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, and the group were dropped. [1]

They continued to record, releasing the Tension album in 1997, and the covers album Psychedelic Souls in 1998, which was recorded with members of Sublime and the Long Beach Dub Allstars, and brought the group a second Grammy nomination. [8] [9] The self-produced Equality followed in 2000, which featured reworkings of old songs recorded with Sly and Robbie, and saw the band receive their third Grammy nomination. [1] [7] [9] [10] [11] They also contributed the song "Renegade Survivor" to the soundtrack of the animated motion picture Titan A.E. in 2000. [11]

In 2006 they released Classic Jamaican Flava, a two disc set featuring a compact disc and a DVD of a live performance in San Francisco, California. In 2008 Dennis returned to the group. [12] Their track "Things and Time" was included in the soundtrack of the 2010 film Dear John . [13]

In April 2015 it was reported that McDonald and Matthews were working on a new album with Sly and Robbie. The group released the album Island Girl in 2017. [14]

The group have recorded cover versions of a wide variety of songs, such as Kate and Anna McGarrigle's "Heartbeats Accelerating", The Who's "My Generation", The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows", Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", and The Rolling Stones' "Black Angel". [15] [16]

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitleLabelNotes
1979Wild Suspense Island/Mango
1981Fire House Rock Greensleeves
WailingJah Guidance
1982InchpinchersGreensleeves/Shanachie
1983On The RocksGreensleeves
Baby Come RockJoe Gibbs Music
1984StrandedGreensleeves/Gorgon
1986Lay It on the LineLive & Learn
1987Kingston 14Live & Learn
1989Stormy NightRohit International
1991Reggae Ina FirehouseLive & Learnrecorded 1988
1992All Over The WorldChaos
1994Live On Zoo
1997TensionBig Ship
1998Psychedelic SoulsPow Wow
2000EqualityMusicBlitz
2003Square DealStudio One
2003Souvenir From JamaicaArtists Only!
2017Island GirlBlack Oak Studios
2020Back A Yard [17] Greensleeves

Live albums

YearTitleLabelNotes
2006Classic Jamaican Flava2b1recorded live in San Francisco

Compilations

YearTitleLabelNotes
1975The Wailing Souls Studio One recorded 1969–1970
1982Soul and PowerStudio Onerecorded 1969–1970
1984The Best of Wailing SoulEmpire/Channel One
1985The Best of Wailing SoulSunset
1987The Very Best Of The Wailing Souls [18] Greensleeves
1999Reggae Legends Vol 1Artists Only!
2002Face The DevilSilverlinereissue of Wailing with dubs
2003Classic SoulsArtists Only!
2004Wailing Souls at Channel One Pressure Sounds
2007Most Wanted: Classic Cuts 1978–1984Greensleeves

Singles

  • "Lost Love" (196?) – as The Renegades
  • "Bongonyah" (1969), Camel – as The Little Roys
  • "Fight Them" (1970), Camel – as The Little Roys
  • "Gold Digger" (1970), Camel – as The Little Roys
  • "Selassie Want Us Back" (1970), Camel – as The Little Roys
  • "Row Fisherman Row" (1970), Banana
  • "Back Out" (1970), Banana
  • "Mr. Fire Coal Man"
  • "Walk Walk Walk" (1971), Banana
  • "Harbour Shark" (1971), Green Door
  • "Dungeon" (1972), Punch
  • "You Should've Known Better" (1972), Punch
  • "Don't Fight It" (1972), Coxsone
  • "Wicked A Go Dread" (1973), Del Prado - as Pipe & The Pipers (also Micron '75 reissue)
  • "War" (1974), Channel One – with Ranking Trevor
  • "Things and Time" (1974), Channel One
  • "Back Out" (1976), Conflict
  • "Feel the Spirit" (1976), Massive
  • "Bredda Gravalicious" (1977), Massive
  • "Something Funny" (1978), Island
  • "Fire Mus Mus Tail" (1978), Channel One
  • "Very Well" (1978), Channel One
  • "Joy Within Your Heart" (1978), Well Charge/Hitbound
  • "Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall" (1980), Greensleeves
  • "Lawless Society" (1980), Channel One
  • "Old Broom" (1980), Taxi
  • "Sweet Sugar Plum" (1980), Taxi
  • "See Baba Joe" (1980), Greensleeves – B-side of Michael Prophet's "Help Them Please"
  • "Stick Together" (1980), Studio One
  • "Rude Boy Say Him Bad" (1981), Cha Cha
  • "Penny I Love You" (1981), Cha Cha
  • "Waterhouse Rock" (1981), Jah Guidance
  • "Bandit Taking Over" (1981), Jah Guidance
  • "Run Dem Down" (1981), Jah Guidance
  • "Up Front" (1981), Greensleeves
  • "Who No Waan Come" (1981), Greensleeves
  • "Stalk a Sensimenia" (198?), Thompson Sound
  • "Down Hearted" (198?), Thompson Sound
  • "Wha Happen Dey" (198?), Gorgon
  • "I Shent Thee" (1982), Jah Guidance
  • "Baby Come Back" (1982), Volcano
  • "Take a Taste" (1982), Jah Guidance
  • "Sweetie Come Brush Me" (1982), Arrival
  • "Grabbing and Running" (1982), Cha Cha
  • "Take We Back" (1982), Jah Guidance
  • "Diamonds & Pearls" (1982), Greensleeves
  • "They Don't Know Jah" (1982), Greensleeves
  • "Rastaman" (1982), Jah Guidance
  • "Bounce Back" (1983), Greensleeves
  • "Water Pumpee" (1983), Greensleeves
  • "Take a Taste" (1983), Upfront
  • "War Deh Round A John Shop" (1984), Greensleeves
  • "Who Fa Say a The Best" (1985), Rockers Forever – B-side of Johnny Osbourne's "If Jah Didn't Love You"
  • "Dance Hall Nice Again" (1986), Tuff Gong
  • "Lay It on the Line" (1986), Live & Learn
  • "Informer" (1987), Live & Learn
  • "Dog Bite" (1987), Live & Love
  • "Full Moon" (1987), Live & Learn
  • "Shark Attack" (1992), Chaos
  • "All Over the World" (1992), Columbia
  • "If I Were You" (1992), Chaos
  • "Wild Wild Life" (1994), Columbia
  • "Row Fisherman Row" (1997), Big Ship
  • "Tension" (1997)
  • "Kingdom Rise" (2000), Thompson Sound
  • "World Abomination" (2004), Famous
  • "Firehouse Rock" (2006), Jah Guidance

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar Minott</span> Jamaican reggae singer (1956–2010)

Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer, producer and sound-system operator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Brown</span> Jamaican reggae singer (1957–1999)

Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a subgenre of reggae. Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, dubbing him "The Crown Prince of Reggae", and Brown would prove influential on future generations of reggae singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mighty Diamonds</span> Jamaican harmony trio

The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, Right Time, produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 1979 release, Deeper Roots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roots Radics</span> Musical artist

The Roots Radics Band was formed in 1978 by bass player Errol "Flabba" Holt, guitarist Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont and drummer Lincoln "Style" Scott. They were joined by many musicians, including guitarist Noel "Sowell" Bailey, Dwight Pinkney and Steve Golding, keyboard player Wycliffe "Steelie" Johnson, Pianist Gladstone "Gladdy" Anderson and saxophonist Headley Bennett. As a combined force the Roots Radics became a well-respected studio and stage band, which dominated the sound in the first half of the 1980s. In addition to their own catalogue, they have worked with artists such as Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs, Michael Prophet, Eek-A-Mouse, and Israel Vibration.

Henry James, better known as Peter Broggs, was a Jamaican roots reggae vocalist and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gladiators (band)</span> Jamaican roots reggae band

The Gladiators are a Jamaican roots reggae band, most popular during the 1970s. The core was Albert Griffiths, Clinton Fearon and Gallimore Sutherland. Their two most famous albums are Trenchtown Mix Up (1976) and Proverbial Reggae (1978) with songs such as "Hearsay", "Jah Works", "Dreadlocks the Time is Now". "Mix Up", "Music Makers from Jamaica", and "Soul Rebel" – a song written by The Wailers. Gladiators also cooperated with the toaster U-Roy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willi Williams</span> Musical artist

Willi Williams is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and producer. He is known as the "Armagideon Man" after his hit, "Armagideon Time", first recorded in 1977 at Studio One in Kingston. The song was covered by The Clash as the flipside of their "London Calling" single.

Roy Anthony Johnson, better known simply as Anthony Johnson, is a Jamaican reggae musician who was a member of the group Mystic I and is known for the 1980s hit song "Gunshot".

The Meditations are a reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974. They have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today.

Clint Eastwood is a Jamaican reggae deejay, who recorded as a solo artist in the late 1970s and early 1980s before teaming up with UK deejay General Saint as the duo Clint Eastwood & General Saint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jah Thomas</span> Musical artist

Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Prophet</span> Musical artist

Michael George Haynes, known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s most popular roots reggae singers and had several prominent hits during his 40-year career, after his passing his family together with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency released the highly rated live album "live at plein les watts"

Ranking Joea.k.a.Little Joe is a reggae deejay who rose to prominence in the 1970s and had continuing success in the 1980s.

Toyan aka Ranking Toyan was a Jamaican reggae deejay active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings.

Johnny Ringo was a reggae/dancehall deejay active from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alborosie</span> Italian-Jamaican reggae artist (born 1977)

Alberto D'Ascola, better known by his stage name Alborosie, is an Italian reggae artist. He is sometimes called the "Italian Reggae Ambassador".

Sons of Jah were a Jamaican reggae band. They made at least four records, including the album Bankrupt Morality in 1978, which was co-produced by Mikey Dread.

Paul Love, better known as Jah Screw is a Jamaican singer and record producer best known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s with artists such as Barrington Levy, Barry Brown, and Ranking Joe

Dennis Vassell, better known as Dennis Walks, is a Jamaican reggae singer, best known for his work with Harry Mudie in the late 1960s and 1970s. His stage name was given to him by Roy Shirley.

Rudolph "Garth" Dennis was a Jamaican musician who was a founder member of Black Uhuru, later a member of The Wailing Souls for ten years before returning to Black Uhuru in the mid-1980s, and also recorded as a solo artist.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN   0-87930-655-6, p. 297-300
  2. 1 2 Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn., Rough Guides, ISBN   1-84353-329-4, p. 22, 160
  3. ↑ Steckles, Garry (1984) "Souls 'discovered' after 20 years", Montreal Gazette , 16 February 1984, p. D-10, retrieved 14 September 2012
  4. 1 2 Greene, Jo-Ann "The Wailing Souls Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 14 September 2012
  5. 1 2 3 Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN   0-7535-0242-9, p. 313
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Foster, Chuck (1999) Roots Rock Reggae, Billboard Books, ISBN   0-8230-7831-0, p. 81-90
  7. 1 2 Oumano, Elena (1998) "Pow Wow's Souls Put Spin on Classic Songs", Billboard , 12 September 1998, p. 17, retrieved 14 September 2012
  8. ↑ "Reggae's Wailing Souls Play Monday", Arizona Daily Star , 4 May 2001
  9. 1 2 Taylor, Lewis (2000) "Wailing Souls Return to Roots, Rock, Reggae", Eugene Register-Guard , 8 December 2000, p. 22, retrieved 14 September 2012
  10. ↑ Hay, Carla (2000) "Wailing Souls Promote 'Equality' on MusicBlitz Set", Billboard , 24 June 2000, p. 13, retrieved 14 September 2012
  11. 1 2 Deeds, Michael (2001) "Wailing Souls Pack Quite a Resume", The Idaho Statesman , 13 April 2001, retrieved 14 September 2012
  12. ↑ "The 'Souls' Reunite", Jamaica Gleaner , 7 October 2008, retrieved 14 September 2012
  13. ↑ "Wailing Souls' Things and Time featured in Dear John soundtrack", Jamaica Observer , 10 February 2010, retrieved 14 September 2012
  14. ↑ Campbell, Howard (2015) "Wailing Souls hope to chart comeback", Jamaica Observer , 9 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015
  15. ↑ "No Reggae, No Cry", Monterey County Weekly , 30 August 2007,
  16. ↑ Tanzilo, Robert (1992) "Wailing Souls Return to the Roots", Milwaukee Sentinel , 10 July 1992, retrieved 14 September 2012
  17. ↑ "The Wailing Souls – Back a Yard". Allmusic.
  18. ↑ "The Wailing Souls – The Very Best Of The Wailing Souls". Discogs.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.