If I had to choose a favorite singer in any genre, it would have to be the great Jamaican singer, Alton Ellis. Alton’s music forever changed the course of my life and musical career. When I first heard Alton’s voice, it stirred emotions within me I didn’t even know existed! He! He! His voice and style was a sweet and soulful approach but he could also transition into gritty tones and phrases. He possesed a great natural talent to write and craft original songs but many believe his real gift was his ability to take a Soul or Pop song and make it his own. Just a few examples would be Alton’s version of the Tyrone Davis soul classic “Can I Change My Mind”, The Delfonics’ “La La Means I Love You”, The Beatles’ “And I Love Her”, Johnnie Taylor’s “Ain’t That Loving You” and so many more. But if there is one song that Alton covered that will forever be remembered as truly his own, it would be Chuck Jackson’s “Willow Tree”. Alton injected so much soul and irresistable vulnerability into his vocal performance on this tune til he just knocked it right out of the park. He cut it many times over for many labels and producers but the origianl version he did for legendary producer Duke Reid at Treasure Isle is one of the most enduring melody’s to ever come out of the little island in the sun! Fortunately, much of Alton’s music is available on Amazon, I-Tunes, E-Music, etc (see links below) and one can hear and see countless youtube footage of the legend himself. We lost Alton to cancer in 2008. It was a huge blow to the music world, the reggae community, and Jamaica of course. Alton’s music has made so many people throughout the world happy and his voice and music live on forever. I think it’s safe to say alot of babies have been made from men and women listening to the romantic stylings of Alton’s voice! He! He! I will be writing more about Alton here in the near future. Stay tuned for my story of first seeing him perform live and what a revelation it was for me. I’ll also soon post a story about the one time I met my hero and was blessed to reason with him briefly.
Check out the Reggae and Rock Steady of Alton Ellis on Amazon
Check out the Reggae and Rock Steady of Alton Ellis on iTunes
Check out the Reggae and Rock Steady of Alton Ellis on eMusic
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Ah, Alton! When I was at Island Records in the sixties, his ‘Rock Steady’ and ‘Dance Crasher’ were big selling and very popular tunes. I loved him then and still do.
He had a kind of controlled intensity that was impossible to ignore … I love his style of singing, he had soul and taste.
This blog will be a great read! Thanks for letting us know it’s here. It’s always great to learn about artists and their journey in music.
I just mastered my 1984 Year End Reggae Wrap-Up show from KQAK (The Quake, San Francisco), co-hosted by Roger Steffens. Here’s a sample segment where Roger plays back an appearance by Alton Ellis on Rog’s L.A. Reggae Beat show that year with Alton explaining in great detail the differences between ska, rock steady & reggae. Ellis was truly a beautiful singer & remarkable human being. http://www.midnightdread.com/webcast8.html