This article originally appeared in Reggae Report Dancehall Singers Lee O'Neill When people think of dancehall, the image is a swaggering DJ chanting lyrics in a rough-edged voice, so it might comes as some surprise that the beginning of the modern dance hall era can be pinpointed to sessions recorded for singer Barrington Levy. It might also be surprising that the young dancehall style was christened by Sugar Minott in a pair of early EPs released in the early 1980s and "Under Mi Sleng Teng," the song that began the computerized/synthesized riddim revolution was voiced by singer Wayne Smith, not a DJ. So while dancehall reggae calls to mind a picture of a DJ chatting 'pon the mike driving the crowd to a frenzy, respect must be paid to the singers who laid the foundation of the dancehall style and who carry on the traditions to this day - artists like Levy, Minott, Johnny Osbourne, Michael Prophet, Beres Hammond, Garnett Silk, Spanner Banner, Anthony Red Rose, Wayne Wonder and too many more to mention. In this issue of Reggae Report, we do just that. Of course, it all begins with Barrington Levy. In the late 1970s, the basic sound of reggae was the rockers of Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare and the Revolutionaries. It was a style featuring Dunbar's brilliant drumming (and other drummers imitation of his technique) and heavy borrowings from contemporary American funk. The militant, complex rockers style dominated the charts and systems from about 1976 through the late 1970s but when Sly & Robbie stepped back a moment to launch their own Taxi label, a new style rushed in to fill the gap. The musicians were the Roots Radics, led by bassist Flabba Holt and drummer Style Scott and when they recorded some new dubplates for Henry "Junjo" Lawes backing the then-unknown Barrington Levy, a whole new direction for reggae was born. These sessions produced a sound that was simpler, harder and deeper than the rockers style, with more reliance on groove than technique. Many of the songs that eventually appeared on Levy's first LPs slightly reworked classic riddims and songs, stripping away some elements to highlight the monster bass lines and tight drum attack. Levy's singing style was unlike any other heard before in reggae and the "Black Canary" (as he was known then) was equally adept at conscious songs, love songs and songs aimed directly at the dancehall audience. Bounty Hunter (Jah Life, 1979) and Shine Eye Gal (Burning Sounds, 1979) were released at roughly the same time in the US and the UK and they and the singles released during the same period came to dominate the sound of reggae. Although not as prolific as many other Jamaican singers, whenever Levy enters a recording studio he is capable of producing songs that will not only shoot to the top of the charts but may also change the direction of reggae. Broader Than At roughly the same time that Levy, Lawes and the Roots Radics were reinventing reggae, Sugar Minott and Clement Dodd were doing roughly the same thing without the fanfare. With songs like "Oh Mr. DC" and "Vanity," Minott and Dodd recalled the great classic riddims of Studio One's glory days but made them sound contemporary at the same time. Minott left Dodd's stable shortly thereafter, developing the Youthman Promotion sound system and Black Roots label while continuing to record for producers like Niney the Observer, King Jammy and George Phang. Minott is perhaps one of the most versatile singers of the modern era with dozens of sweet love songs, dancehall classics and cultural classics to his credit. Much of Minott's best music is out of print, but Dance Hall Showcase (Black Roots, 1982), Dance Hall Showcase V2 (Black Roots, 1983), Slice of the Cake (Heartbeat, 1984), The Artist (L&M, 1984) and Inna Reggae Dancehall (Heartbeat, 1985) provide a solid overview. Minott and Levy both highlight one other feature of the dancehall style. While the practice of recycling riddims had been a part of reggae since the days of U Roy, it wasn't until Levy and Junjo and Minott and Dodd reached back to contemporize older riddims that the potential of reggae's own past was revealed. From this point forward, reggae would move forward on a foundation of riddims originally recorded in the 1960s and early 70s. Following in the footsteps of Levy and Minott were Michael Prophet, Tony Tuff and Johnny Osbourne. All three made their first recordings in the 1970s but achieved success in the early 1980s voicing dancehall tracks. Prophet has been the one best served by history. He began recording for Yabby You and his wailing voice had some similarity to Levy's. After leaving Yabby You for Junjo's posse, Prophet scored several major hits contained on albums like Righteous Are the Conqueror (Greensleeves, 1980) and Michael Prophet (Greensleeves, 1981) and has continued to be a popular singer throughout the 80s and 90s. Osbourne and Tuff have created dozens of hits but neither has managed to create an album that does themselves justice. Osbourne's Truths and Rights (Heartbeat, 1991) is the best, a solid Coxsone production from 1980 just before his career took off. The best introduction to Tuff is 20 Super Hits (Sonic Sounds, 1995), a shoddily produced yet essential collection of many of his biggest hits. All The dancehall style born in 1979 gathered strength throughout the early 80s, with bass lines become even bigger, drum beat becoming even harder and simpler and reworkings of classic riddims becoming even more prominent. DJ records, led by the unbelievably popular Yellowman began to dominate reggae but in late 1983 a new wave of singers rose from the dancehalls. Led by Frankie Paul and Half Pint, this group included Little John and Michael Palmer, two singers who were intensely popular in their day. Today, there is almost nothing of Little John's or Palmers in print and this will probably remain true until people become nostalgic for 1984. Both had the kind of reedy voice popularized by Levy As for Paul, he is still making three or four albums a year and has dozens of albums in print but none can match the energy or excitement of his first two, the Winston Riley produced Strange Feeling (Techniques, 1983) and Junjo's Hot Number (Volcano, 1984). Paul's voice was a ringer for Dennis Brown's in those days and these early albums capture the fire of a genuine talent freshly unleashed. Only Half Pint has maintained a level of consistent quality over the years but he was never as closely tied to the dancehall scene as some of the other artists mentioned. His career took off with the songs now collected on Classics (Hightone, 1995). The "Waterhouse" production-style of Myrie Lewis and John Marshall and vocal style of Junior Reid, Half Pint, et al became pervasive. In many ways, this pinched, wailing vocal style was a distillation of Levy's technique (almost like Levy's style taken to the extreme with the melody mixed down). Two years later, Half Pint created one of reggae's biggest all-time hits, "Greetings" and moved out of the dancehall into the international arena. The Waterhouse style became particularly apparent after the introduction of computerized reggae in 1985. Sugar Minott ("Herbman Hustling," "Rub a Dub Sound"), Johnny Osbourne ("One Rub a Dub for the Road") and Paul Blake ("Get Flat") had experimented with a heavily electronic sound but it was the King Jammy produced "Under Mi Sleng Teng" with Wayne Smith singing that became one of the most crucial reggae singles of all time. Overnight, "Sleng Teng" swept through the dancehalls like a brush fire and while Smith disappeared quickly from sight, a whole new generation of singers who could capitalize on the new sound came to rule the dancehalls and the charts. The late Tenor Saw was perhaps the best, but Nitty Gritty, King Kong, Anthony Red Rose and Pad Anthony were right there too. Relative old-timers like Minott, Osbourne and Paul jumped on the bandwagon and Levy again made his mark with "Here I Come" which took the new sound into the British pop charts! Most of the singers of this generation recorded for virtually every producer who would pay them and as a result, none have been able to leave a recorded legacy worthy of their talent. Nitty Gritty's Trials & Crosses (VP, 1991) is as close as we can get to a solid collection from this era. In particular, a comprehensive reissue of the immensely talented Tenor Saw is long overdue. This is also the era that marked the renaissance of Beres Hammond. Hammond, formerly lead singer of the progressive Zap Pow, was a brilliantly soulful singer who never had the right opportunity or the right song. In 1986, Willie Lindo produced him in a solidly dancehall context with "One Dance Won't Do," relaunching his career. Hammond also serves as a bridge between the first generation of pure dancehall singers, nearly all Waterhouse stylists like Tenor Saw, Half Pint, Nitty Gritty and so on and the explosion of unique, talented singers who surfaced in the 1990s. When Donovan Germain began producing hits for Hammond on his Penthouse label, he cleared the way for Garnet Silk, Richie Stephens, Wayne Wonder, Spanner Banner, Everton Blender, Thriller U and Luciano. Hammond has released several successful albums, including Beres Hammond (WKS, 1986), A Love Affair (Penthouse, 1992) and Sweetness (VP, 1994). By this time, popular reggae and dancehall reggae have become practically synonymous and a successful singer must be working in the context of dancehall productions. Several, such as Wonder, Thriller U, Jack Radics and Ed Robinson have produced solid songs but have yet to put together a topflight album. Richie Stephens parlayed his considerable talent and track record of dozens of hit singles into a contract with Motown (!) but his international debut was unfocused and didn't sell very well. His career just hasn't come together since. Of course the leading light of the 1990s was the late, great Garnett Silk. Simply put, Silk was one of the most talented singers in the history of reggae. Not only did his possess immense raw talent, but his albums showed a singer who was harnessing that talent most effectively while developing great skill as a songwriter. Unfortunately, Silk died in an accident this year, leaving us only with albums such as Gold (Charm, 1993) and 100% Silk (VP, 1994) and memories. Silk, however, was not recording in a vacuum. Everton Blender's debut, Lift Up Your Head (Heartbeat, 1994) drew heavily on the Silk's style (which itself drew on Hammond's which borrowed from Minott) and showed a singer already adept at mixing styles and using his raw talent in an effective manner. Anthony Red Rose's Family Man (VP, 1994) was an equally strong album, this time coming from the Waterhouse style. Red Rose cut several powerful singles for the legendary King Tubby in the mid 1980s but his album surpasses any of his earlier efforts. With Banner and Luciano, we bring this survey to a peak and to a close. Banner has consistently released solid singles throughout the 1990s but his first album was a little disappointing. His second, Chill (Island Jamaica, 1995), however, was a stunner. Mixing contemporary R&B with dancehall (a la Diana King, Shaggy, etc.) Banner came up with a style that is intensely satisfying. So has Luciano, although Luciano stays more firmly rooted in dancehall reggae. Almost picking up where Silk left off, Luciano has a solid roots orientation, like Silk and a sweet, melodic voice, like Silk. His first few albums were fine indeed, but on his latest, Where's There's Life (Island Jamaica, 1995), Luciano rises to the challenge of international distribution to produce his strongest effort yet.