|
| Abyssinians |
Formed in 1968 in Jamaica, the Abyssinians comprised lead singer Bernard Collins (b. 10 November 1948), along with the brothers Lynford and Donald Manning, who had both previously been members of their brother Carlton's group, Carlton And His Shoes. The latter's 1968 recording, "Happy Land', strongly influenced the Abyssinians" first record, "Satta Massa Gana", a Rastafarian hymn sung partly in the ancient Ethiopian Amharic language, and recorded at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One in March 1969. "Satta Massa Gana", which has been covered by dozens of artists, is a classic reggae roots song, its plangent, understated rhythm and the group's cool harmonies providing the template for the roots music that dominated the following decade. Dodd apparently saw little potential in the song at the time, however, and "parked' it. Eventually the group saved enough money to buy the tape and release it on their own Clinch label in 1971, and the song became a huge Jamaican hit. In the wake of the song's success, Dodd released his own DJ and instrumental versions. The Abyssinians" second hit record, "Declaration Of Rights", which featured Leroy Sibbles on backing vocals, is similarly notable for its militant lyrics, close harmony vocals and hard, rootsy rhythms.
In 1972 the trio released two more singles on Clinch, "Let My Days Be Long" and "Poor Jason White", both recorded at Dynamic Studios, as well as a version of "Satta Massa Gana", retitled "Mabrak", which featured the group reciting passages from the Bible. Their next release, "Yim Mas Gan" (1973), was recorded for producer Lloyd Daley and was released in the UK on the Harry J label. The group continued releasing tunes on their own label throughout the 70s, including "Leggo Beast', Bernard Collins" solo on the "Satta Massa Gana" rhythm track, "Satta Me No Born Yah", Big Youth's DJ version of "Satta Massa Gana" called "I Pray Thee"/"Dreader Dan Dread", Dillinger's "I Saw Esaw", and Bernard, solo again on "Crashie Sweep Them Clean", backed with Dillinger's "Crashie First Socialist". Records for other producers during the same period included "Reason Time" (1974) for Federal Records, "Love Comes And Goes" (1975) for Tommy Cowan's Arab label and the Amharic "Tenayistillin Wandimae" (1975) for Geoffrey Chung. Forward On To Zion was released in 1976 after being pirated in the UK, and further singles appeared on Clinch, including "Prophecy" (1977) and "This Land Is For Everyone" (1979).
|
|
|
