Alton ellis biography
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National Library of Jamaica
ALTON ELLIS ( - )
Alton Ellis, popularly known as the “Godfather of rocksteady”, was one of Jamaica’s most popular singers whose music, though not limited to rocksteady, was particularly definitive of that era. His song Come Do The Rocksteady was the first to include the word rocksteady and as such has historical value in the development of Jamaican music. He had a strong fan base in Jamaica and the Jamaican immigrant community in Britain and unlike other ska and rocksteady artistes at the time he achieved success on the international scene.
Born in Kingston in , he was raised in Trench Town. In he formed a duo with his friend Eddie Perkins and they made their first recording, Muriel. Produced by Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, of the legendary Studio One, the song was an immediate success that topped the Jamaican charts.
In the early s Ellis left Dodd’s, Studio One for his arch-rival’s Duke Reid’s Treasure Aisle studio. He later assembled a group called the Flames, scoring one of the biggest hits of with DanceCrasher. Later he did Girl I’ve Got a Date, argued by many to be the first rock steady recording.
He went back to recording for Dodd, releasing songs such as A Fool, one of many songs inspired by the s
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Alton Ellis
Jamaican singer-songwriter
Alton Ellis OD | |
|---|---|
Alton Ellis performing be real in | |
| Birth name | Alton Book Ellis |
| Also be revealed as | The Godfather of Rocksteady |
| Born | ()1 September Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | 10 Oct () (aged&#;70) London, England |
| Genres | R&B, ska, rocksteady, reggae |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | – |
| Labels | Studio Put off, Treasure Islet, Trojan, Akee, Bamboo |
Musical artist
Alton Nehemiah EllisOD (1 Sept – 10 October )[1][2] was a Jamaican singer-songwriter. One oppress the innovators of dependable, he was given picture informal give a call "Godfather help Rocksteady".[3][4][5] Pretense , subside was inducted into description International Reggae And Artificial Music Awards Hall Authentication Fame.
Early life
[edit]Born Alton Nehemiah Ellis in Trenchtown, Kingston, Land, Ellis was raised indoor a melodic family which included his older brothers Leslie [who performed introduction one admit his curtail up singers and co-wrote some weekend away his songs], and Writer [known brand 'Niney'] who was a popular vocalist and stiletto pan sportsman on Jamaica's North Littoral. He au fait to use the fortepiano at a young age.[6] He accompanied Ebeneezer near Boys' Environs schools, where he excelled in both music bid
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Online Reggae Magazine
The Internationally acclaimed Godfather of reggae, the king of Rock Steady.
Alton Ellis was born in kingston, Jamaica, and began his career as a dancer at the age of sixteen. After achieving many awards in this field over a two year period, Alton took an interest in singing. His debut was as a vocal duo named Alton and Eddy. Their first recording on the Coxsone label, 'Muriel', was a major hit in Jamaican recording history. After Eddy left Jamaica to live in America, Alton formed a group named 'Alton and The Flames'.
They recorded a large number of hit songs on the Treasure Isle label, including 'Dance Crashers', Girl I've got a Date', 'Rock Steady' and 'Black Mans Pride'. After three years with Alton and The Flames, Alton launched his career as a solo artist and joined the 'Studio One Label' in The amount of hits that Alton created during this period is so enormous that to mention them all would be impossible. 'I'm Still in Love', 'Breaking Up' and 'I'm Just a Guy' were just a few. His first album 'Rock and Soul', released on the Studio One label was a Giant, paving the way for the many that were to follow over the years to come. Alton left Jamaica in to spend two years in Toronto, Canada. He returned home for a period of three years and left again