34-567: Cecil Bustamente Campbell OD (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster , was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary music and created a legacy of work that would be drawn upon later by reggae and ska artists. Cecil Bustamente Campbell was born in Orange Street in Kingston , Jamaica , on 24 May 1938. His middle name
68-471: A UK label owned by Emil Shalet. Melodisc released the track on their subsidiary label Blue Beat ; the label would go on to become synonymous with 1960s ska releases for the UK market. Campbell recorded prolifically throughout the 1960s; notable early ska releases include: "Madness" (1963), "Wash Wash" (1963, with Ernest Ranglin on bass), " One Step Beyond " (1964) and " Al Capone " (1964). The documentary This
102-577: A jukebox company. From 1973 Campbell effectively retired from the music business, with only a handful of compilation albums issued. Even with the new interest in his music following the 2-Tone-led ska revival in the UK in 1979, he remained out of the limelight. Following an acclaimed appearance at the first Reggae Sunsplash event in July 1984 in London, he resumed performing with the Skatalites as his backing band towards
136-603: A professional drummer at the Baby Grand Club who had arranged and recorded a special (exclusive recording) for the Count Boysie sound system. Drumbago agreed to help and Campbell immediately began rehearsing with the musicians at the Baby Grand Club, including the guitarist Jah Jerry, who played on Campbell's first recording session. In 1961, Campbell released his first single "Little Honey" / "Luke Lane Shuffle" featuring Jah Jerry, Drumbago and Rico Rodriquez recording under
170-535: A rival to the sound systems of Coxsone and Duke Reid . Campbell applied to the Farm Work Program (guest worker scheme for the US agricultural sector) with the intention of buying music for his sound system but, on the day of departure, was refused entry into the scheme. Knowing that he would not be able to personally source records from the US, Campbell decided to record his own music. He approached Arkland "Drumbago" Parks,
204-583: A young boy, Campbell attended the Central Branch School and St. Anne's School. While at school, Campbell performed three or four times a week at the Glass Bucket Club, as part of Frankie Lymon 's Sing and Dance Troupe; rock 'n' roll-themed shows were popular during the 1950s, with the Glass Bucket Club establishing a reputation as the premier music venue and social club for Jamaican teenagers at that time. Upon leaving school he found himself drawn to
238-569: Is Ska (1964), hosted by Tony Verity and filmed at the Sombrero Club, includes Campbell performing his Jamaican hit "Wash Wash". In 1964, Campbell met World Heavyweight Champion boxer Muhammad Ali , who invited him to attend a Nation of Islam talk at Mosque 29 in Miami. That year Campbell joined the Nation of Islam and also started to release material, including a version of Louis X 's "White Man's Heaven
272-506: Is a Black Man's Hell," on his own imprint label called " Islam ". In 1965, he appeared in Millie in Jamaica (a film short about Millie Small's return to Jamaica after the world-wide success of " My Boy Lollipop ") which was broadcast on Rediffusion's Friday evening pop show Ready, Steady, Go! Campbell had a top twenty hit in the UK with the single "Al Capone" (no. 18, February 1967). He toured
306-470: The post-nominal letters CD in the case of Members, or CD (Hon.) in the case of Honorary Members. Officers of the Order of Distinction are entitled to use the post-nominal letters OD in the case of Members, or OD (Hon.) in the case of Honorary Members. Melodisc Records Melodisc Records was a record label founded by Emil E. Shalit in the late 1940s. It was one of the first independent record labels in
340-452: The Order, and the latter are made Honorary Members. The Order has two ranks: the higher class of Commander, and the lower class of Officer. Commanders take place and precedence immediately after Members and Honorary Members of the Order of Jamaica . A Member or Honorary Member may be promoted from the rank of Officer to that of Commander. Commanders of the Order of Distinction are entitled to use
374-460: The Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament ( The National Honours and Awards Act ) in 1968. The motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service". The Order of Distinction is conferred upon citizens of Jamaica who have rendered outstanding and important services to Jamaica, or to distinguished citizens of a country other than Jamaica. The former are made Members of
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#1732855282669408-679: The UK and the parent company of the Blue Beat label. Melodisc records was founded by Austrian -born American citizen Emil Edward Shalit (24 December 1909 – 23 April 1983) and his business partner Jack Chilkes. Melodisc began trading in London , England, in August 1949 and soon became established as one of the first—and, at the time, the largest—independent record labels in the UK. Its offices were in Earlham Street, Covent Garden . The company
442-754: The UK in spring 1967 appearing at the Marquee Club in May and later toured America to promote the RCA Victor LP release The Ten Commandments (From Man To Woman) . "Ten Commandments" reached no. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming his only hit single in the United States. By the late 1960s Campbell was once again at the forefront of a musical change in Jamaica; the new music would be called rocksteady. Campbell tracks like "Shaking Up Orange Street" (1967) were arranged with
476-442: The UK. His career slowed up in the 1970s as the predominant style moved away from ska and rocksteady towards roots reggae , in part because as a Muslim he found it difficult to tailor his style towards a Rastafari audience. However he did make an appearance in the 1972 movie The Harder They Come , which featured Campbell in a cameo role as a DJ. He subsequently moved to Miami to pursue business interests including running
510-1088: The age of 73. The discography goes on to say, however, that the Jubilee records were never issued. They were issued on the Disc label instead after the purchase of the matrices by Mo Asch. (Cedric J. Hayes, Gospel Records, 1943–1969: A Black Music Discography (paperback), Robert Laughton) Savoy 809] || LP: track 1. Fela's Special / track 2. Alcana / track 3. Highlife Rakers Calypso / track 4. Wa Ba Mi Jo Bosue Lonnie (vocals) Jim Eanes rhythm guitar Frank Burns electric guitar Arnold Terry rhythm guitar Allen Shelton banjo Cliff Raysdale bass Roy Russell fiddle. His other two records were also recorded at WHEE in May and June 1960 with an unreleased track, "If You Ain't Gonna Love Me". Louis Jordan (alto sax, vocals) Chris Barber (trombone, vocals) Pat Halcox (trombone) Ian Wheeler (clarinet, alto sax) Eddie Smith (banjo) Dick Smith (bass) Graham Burbidge (drums). Recorded at Olympic Studios, Barnes 15 December 1962. In 1968, Nightingale
544-418: The early 1950s, Melodisc focused on licensing and releasing American jazz and folk records in the UK and had a production and distribution arrangement with Decca Records . After Chilkes was replaced by Trinidadian Rupert Nurse , who became Melodisc's musical director, the label also released rhythm and blues , West Indian, and African recordings. Calypso and mento music was also released to cater to
578-503: The end of the 1970s that started with the 2-Tone label from Coventry introduced Campbell's music to a new generation of listeners. In 1979 the band Madness released their first single on 2-Tone, a tribute to Campbell called " The Prince ". The B-side was a cover of the Campbell song "Madness" from which they took their name. Their second single, released on the Stiff label ("The Prince" would be
612-443: The end of the 1980s, and resumed recording in 1992. In 1994, a UK court ruled in favour of John Folkes and Greensleeves Records after they brought a lawsuit against Campbell and Melodisc (CampbelI by this time had acquired Melodisc) concerning authorship of "Oh Carolina". Campbell had a top 30 hit in the UK with the track "Whine and Grine" (no. 21, April 1998) after the song had been used in an advert for Levi's . In 2001, Campbell
646-459: The financial and logistical aspects of staging a sound system dance was put to good use when Campbell made the decision to start his own sound system called 'Voice of the People'. Campbell approached his family and a radio shop owner called Mr Wong for financial backing; both parties agreed. Campbell's 'Voice of the People' sound system was soon operational and within a short time had established itself as
680-709: The growing Afro-Caribbean community in Britain . Early Melodisc releases in the UK included 78 rpm and later 45 rpm records, EPs , and LPs by artists such as Big Bill Broonzy , Louis Jordan , Josh White , Woody Guthrie , Lead Belly , and Charlie Parker . From the early 1950s, Melodisc started recording musicians in London, particularly at the Esquire studios in Bedford Court Mansions in Covent Garden. Early recordings were supervised by Denis Preston . Among
714-553: The label name became synonymous with Jamaican music in the UK and became associated with the mod and later skinhead sub-cultures of the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1966, Melodisc set up a new sub-label, Fab Records , to release rocksteady music. The Melodisc label continued to release LPs through the 1960s and into the early 1970s. Artists included Prince Buster , Ambrose Campbell , Ginger Johnson , Ravi Shankar , and Lord Kitchener. Emil Shalit died in Slough , England, in 1983, at
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#1732855282669748-413: The mid- to late 1950s, Melodisc sought out Jamaican-produced records to distribute in Britain and made deals with producers such as Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid . It released Laurel Aitken 's "Lonesome Lover" in the UK in 1960. Following its success, Shalit employed Sigimund "Siggy" Jackson to set up a subsidiary label, Blue Beat , which focused on Jamaican blues and ska music. For several years,
782-515: The morning of 8 September 2016, in a hospital in Miami , Florida, after suffering heart problems, according to his wife. He had reportedly been in poor health for some time after a series of strokes , including one in 2009 that left him unable to walk. Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction ( OD ) is a national order in the Jamaican honours system . It is the sixth in order of precedence of
816-603: The musicians recorded were Jamaican -born jazz musician Joe Harriott , pianist Russ Henderson , and the Trinidadians Lord Beginner and Lord Kitchener , whose song "Birth of Ghana" was recorded in London in late 1956. Melodisc was actively involved in exporting records from Britain to the emerging record-buying markets in West Africa and the Caribbean including Guyanese singer Terry Nelson (aka Halla Gala). From
850-688: The name of Buster's Group. In that same year, he produced " Oh Carolina " by the Folkes Brothers , which was released on his Wild Bells label. The drumming on the record was provided by members of the Count Ossie Group , nyabinghi drummers from the Rastafarian community, Camp David , situated on the Wareika Hill above Kingston. After becoming a hit in Jamaica , "Oh Carolina" was licensed to Melodisc ,
884-664: The only single released by Madness on the 2-Tone label), was a cover of Campbell's " One Step Beyond ", which reached the UK Top 10. On their self-titled debut album , the Specials covered "Too Hot" and borrowed elements from Campbell's "Judge Dread" (in the song "Stupid Marriage") and "Al Capone" (in the song "Gangsters"). The Specials also included a cover of "Enjoy Yourself" on their second album More Specials . The Beat covered "Rough Rider" and "Whine & Grine" on their album I Just Can't Stop It . Campbell's song "Hard Man Fe Dead"
918-420: The operational side of running a sound system after he was introduced to Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd , a musically inclined businessman who operated one of Kingston's most popular sound systems. Campbell found himself fulfilling a variety of roles for Coxsone: providing security, handling ticket receipts, identifying and sourcing music as well as working in the essential role of selector. The knowledge he gained about
952-699: The ranks of followers of sound system Tom the Great Sebastian . Jamaican sound systems at that time were playing American rhythm 'n' blues and Campbell credits Tom the Great Sebastian with his first introduction to the songs and artists that would later influence his own music: The Clovers ' "Middle of the Night", Fats Domino 's "Mardi Gras in New Orleans", the Griffin Brothers featuring Margie Day , and Shirley & Lee . Campbell became more actively involved in
986-486: The slower, more soulful rocksteady template as used by Alton Ellis ("Rock Steady") and many others. The album Judge Dread Rock Steady was released in 1967, and the title track "Judge Dread" with its satirical theme and vocal style proved to be popular to the point of parody. In 1968, the compilation album FABulous was released, opening with the track "Earthquake" (which revisited the theme of Orange Street) and including earlier hits. The album has regularly been reissued in
1020-425: The soundtrack of his 2019 television series " Too Old to Die Young ". The Specials, with activist and vocalist Saffiyah Khan , recorded a rebuttal to "Ten Commandments Of Man", also called "10 Commandments", on their 2019 album Encore , criticising the original's outdated representation of women. Sex Pistols Steve Jones cited Prince Buster as an inspiration in his autobiography Lonely Boy. Campbell died on
1054-766: Was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government for his contribution to music. He performed at the 2002 Legends Of Ska festival in Toronto. Other appearances include: Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in 2003; the 2006 Boss Sounds Reggae Festival in Newcastle upon Tyne , the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with the Delroy Williams Junction Band, and the 2007 UK Rhythm Festival . Campbell resided in Miami, Florida. The UK ska revival at
Prince Buster - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-507: Was covered by the U.S. ska band the Toasters on their 1996 album Hard Band For Dead . In 2002, electronic duo Mint Royale sampled Prince Buster for their single "Sexiest Man in Jamaica" on their album Dancehall Places . In September 2002 the tune was released on David Wood and Neil Claxton's Faith & Hope Records label and debuted at #20 on the UK singles chart. Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn used Campbell's "Ten Commandments Of Man" on
1122-479: Was founded in 1949 when Shalit was still living in New York City , with the initial purpose of licensing American jazz for release in the UK. In London, Melodisc was managed by Jack Chilkes until a disagreement with Shalit led to his departure and a subsequent lawsuit in late 1952; According to Chilkes, Shalit had tricked him into believing that he owned the rights to material actually owned by other companies. In
1156-555: Was given to him by his family in honour of the Labour activist and first post-Independence Prime Minister William Alexander Clarke Bustamante . In the early 1940s, Campbell was sent to live with his grandmother in rural Jamaica where his family's commitment to the Christian faith, gave him his earliest musical experiences in the form of church singing as well as private family prayer and hymn meetings. Returning to live at Orange Street while still
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