Alvin 'GG' Ranglin (born 1942, Eden,

Clarendon Parish, Jamaica Clarendon is a parish in Jamaica. It is located on the south of the island, roughly halfway between the island's eastern and western ends. Located in the county of Middlesex, it is bordered by Manchester on the west, Saint Catherine in the eas ...

)Greene (Alvin Ranglin Biography) is a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer, record producer and record label owner.

Biography

Ranglin started to sing in public in his teens with an

Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...

Church background. As a radio and television technician involved in the

jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...

industry, he soon acquired his own sound system he named "GG". By the mid-1960s, he opened his own TV repair shop in

May Pen May Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon in Middlesex County, Jamaica. It is located on the Rio Minho river (Jamaica's longest), and is a major market centre for the Parish. The population was 61,548 at the 2011 cens ...

and started to produce

records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

with artists such as Trevor Brown; and as a singer with Vernon Buckley (later of

The Maytones The Maytones (sometimes known as The Mighty Maytones) are a Jamaican reggae vocal duo who were active between the late 1960s and until 1980. History The Maytones formed in the late 1960s, and comprised Vernon Buckley and Gladstone Grant, both of ...

) as "Vern & Alvin" and with Lloyd Flowers under the name of "Flowers & Alvin".Thompson, p. 436, 494 He soon developed his business by buying jukeboxes and opening his first record shop. He took over the Gloria label from a family member in 1969 and had his first hit with

' (of which he was an early member) single "Loving Reggae".Thompson, p. 316 He worked with the vocal duo until they split in 1980 and enjoyed different

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

mainly with love songs in the early 1970s. He started his GG's label in 1970 and had a big hit with "Man from Carolina" by his studio band named GG Allstars, an organ-led reworking of the

Folkes Brothers The Folkes Brothers were a Jamaican ska group, composed of John, Mico, and Junior Folkes, best known for the single "Oh Carolina". History The group's 1961 single "Oh Carolina" was the first hit record produced by Prince Buster, and is regard ...

hit "Oh Carolina".Katz, p. 102 Among all the artists he worked with are

Eric Donaldson Eric Donaldson (born 11 June 1947 in Bog Walk, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter. He originated in Saint Catherine, Jamaica. Biography Born in Kent Village, about 2 miles from Bog Walk, Donaldson first recorded for Studio One ...

in 1970 ("Lonely Night"...), Max Romeo, Billy Dyce,

The Ethiopians The Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's best-loved harmony groups during the late ska, rocksteady and early reggae periods. Responsible for a significant number of hits between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group was also one of the first ...

in 1972,

U-Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

in 1973,

Prince Mohammed George Nooks, Prince Mohamed, Prince Mohammed, or George Knooks (born c. 1958 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer who initially found fame as a deejay. Biography Nooks started his musical career in the youth choir at his church, and move ...

with the hit "Hallelujah I Love Her So",

Cynthia Richards Cynthia Richards (born Sinthia Richards, 1944) is a Jamaican singer whose career began in the 1960s. Biography Born in Duhaney Park, Kingston, Jamaica, in 1944, Richards attended the Denham Town Primary School where after impressing teachers wi ...

Gregory Isaacs Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...

from 1974 to 1977 (including his debut ''In Person'' album, and the two ''Best of'' volumes), The Starlites featuring Stanley Beckford ("

Soldering Soldering (; ) is a process in which two or more items are joined by melting and putting a filler metal (solder) into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. Unlike welding, soldering does not involv ...

" in 1975), Jah Thomas in the mid 1970s ("Midnight Rock"),

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

in 1975,

I-Roy Roy Samuel Reid (28 June 1942 – 27 November 1999), better known as I-Roy, was a Jamaican deejay who had a very prolific career during the 1970s. Biography Born in 1944 in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica, Reid graduated from Dinthill Technical C ...

in 1977,

Dennis Alcapone Dennis Alcapone (born Dennis Smith, 6 August 1947, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a reggae DJ and producer. Career Smith initially trained as a welder and worked for the Jamaica Public Services.Interview with Aad van der Hoek in London, England, ...

, Mike Brooks in 1977 ("Guiding Star" launched his career), between 1977 and 1978 Jah Stone &

Freddie McKay Freddie McKay (sometimes Freddy McKay) (1947 – 19 November 1986) was a Jamaican singer, whose career spanned the rocksteady and reggae eras. Biography McKay, born in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, is regarded as one of the most soulful s ...

("The Right Time"), in 1979 Lone Ranger ("Barnabas Collins" became a No. 1 in the UK reggae chart in 1980) plus

Barrington Levy Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. Career Levy was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. He formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Blac ...

, with whom he enjoyed a string of hits in the early 1980s.Greene, Jo-Ann " Barrington Levy Biography,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 7 May 2010 Isaacs gave Ranglin his first international hit with "Love is Overdue", and in the four-year period that the two worked together in the 1970s, Isaacs status rose to that of a superstar. Ranglin worked with him again in 1995 on the ''Dreaming'' album,Greene, Jo-Ann " Gregory Isaacs Biography,

. Retrieved 7 May 2010 and again in 2002 on ''I Found Love''.Windham, Ben (2002)
Some Artists 'Southern By Extension'
, ''

The Tuscaloosa News The '' Tuscaloosa News '' is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama. In 2012, Halifax Media Group acquired the ''Tuscaloosa News''. Prior to that, the paper's owner was Th ...

'', 8 November 2002. Retrieved 7 May 2010 During his long career, Ranglin set up different record labels such as GG's, Hit, and Typhoon, and record stores in places such as Kingston, Half Way Tree, Old Harbour,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and London. He currently lives in Kingston and owns GG Records, a recording studio and a pressing plant.

Partial discography

The GG All Stars * ''Man From Carolina'' – 1970 –

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

* ''Bonanza'' – 1970 –

* ''Musical Shot'' – 1970 –

* ''Flight 404'' – 1970 –

* ''Ganja Plane'' – 1970 –

* ''The Three Dreads From Zion'' – 1978 – GG's Compilations * Various Artists – ''Reggae Flight 404'' – 1970 – Trojan * Various Artists – ''Reggae Reggae Volume 2'' – 1972 – Trojan * Various Artists – ''Atlantic 1'' – 1975 – Horse/Trojan * Various Artists – ''Street Corner Ital Food'' – 1979 – GG's * Various Artists – ''From Chapter To Version – 1970–1974'' – 1998 –

Jamaican Gold Jamaican Gold is an independent record label from Netherlands specialized in Jamaican music reissues. Aad Van Der Hoek founded the label in 1992 and has since been working closely with Jamaican producers and sound engineers, transferring usually ...

* Various Artists – ''From GG's Reggae Hit Stable Vol 01 – 1968–1973'' – Jamaican Gold (1998) * Various Artists – ''From GG's Reggae Hit Stable Vol 02 – 1969–1973'' – Jamaican Gold (1998) * Various Artists – ''Holy Ground'' –

Heartbeat Records Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of L ...

(1990)

Notes

References

*Greene, Jo-Ann " Alvin Ranglin Biography,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 2010-05-07 *Katz, David (2000) ''People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry'', Payback Press, *Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books,

External links

Alvin Ranglin
at Roots Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranglin, Alvin 1942 births Living people Jamaican record producers Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican reggae singers People from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica