Cedric Constantine Myton (born 1947) is a Jamaican

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

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 ...

musician who was a founding member of the

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

band

The Congos The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio w ...

Career

Myton was born in

Old Harbour, Jamaica Old Harbour is a town in southern Jamaica. Transport It used to be served by a station on the national railway network. The nearby Port Esquivel is a major shipping hub for the exportation of bauxite and sugar. Port Esquivel is also the locati ...

. He began his singing career with the group The Bell Stars, who recorded one single 45" "over and over" (1967), which was a minor success. Alongside Lincoln Thompson, "preps" Lewis, and Devon Russell, Myton formed The Tartans in 1968, the group released many 45" singles, and had early success in 1969 with the hit 45 "Dance All Night". After a couple of years The Tartans disbanded, and Myton alongside Lincoln "Prince" Thompson, formed "The Royal Rasses". Myton spent almost 3 years alongside Thompson, writing the tracks which would constitute the Royal Rasses album ''Humanity.'' Myton also sang on every track on ''Humanity.'' This album was a big success, although Myton left The Royal Rasses shortly after the release of ''Humanity.'' The band continued without Myton, who went on to form

, alongside Roydel Johnson, who had a rich "tenor" and Watty Burnett who provided a "Deep Barritone", which combined with Myton's rich "Falsetto" anchored The Congos. The first album they recorded, ''

Heart of the Congos ''Heart of the Congos'' is a roots reggae album by The Congos, produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry at his Black Ark studio with a studio band including Boris Gardiner on bass and Ernest Ranglin on guitar. The album was released in 1977. It is note ...

,'' was produced by

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

. Due to both a dispute between the Perry and Island Records' favouritism of Bob Marley, ''Heart of the Congos,'' was shelved because it was deemed "a strong album." Island Records, led by

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell (born 22 June 1937) is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll ...

, felt it would take away the limelight from Marley. Initially it was released in very limited numbers on Perry's Black Art label and Perry re-mixed the album adding various external sounds, such as "cow horns" provided by the baritone Burnett.Biography
, ''jamaicansmusic.com'', Retrieved 30 July 2014 Many years later the English group The Beat released ''Heart of the Congos'' on their own Go-Feet label, as did the company Blood and Fire. ''Heart of the Congos'' was a big success. Later Myton pursued a solo career. After some time, the Congos reformed and recorded an album titled, ''Back in the Black Ark.'' The group toured as well, appearing at music festivals such as the 2012

Rototom Sunsplash Rototom Sunsplash is a large European reggae festival which takes place every summer at Benicàssim, a few miles north of Valencia in Spain. Since 1994, it attracts thousands of reggae fans from all over the world, thanks to a vast cultural and m ...

.McMahon, Gerard
Cedric Myton
, ''unitedreggae.com'', Retrieved 30 July 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myton, Cedric 1947 births Jamaican reggae musicians Living people People from Saint Catherine Parish Performers of Rastafarian music Jamaican Rastafarians