Joseph Jack "Severs" Ramsey, better known by his stage name Jah Paul Jo (November 1, 1956 – December 29, 2014) was an American musician, singer and producer best known for creating the novelty band

Dread Zeppelin Dread Zeppelin is an American reggae rock band. Formed in 1989 in Sierra Madre, California, the band combines hard rock and reggae styles with humor. They are best known for performing the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style as sung by a La ...

. From 1983 to 1988, Ramsey was the singer/bass player in The Prime Movers. Ramsey was also the owner of independent record label Birdcage Records, which has released albums by Dread Zeppelin, The Prime Movers,

Stan Ridgway Stanard "Stan" Ridgway (born April 5, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original le ...

Ron Asheton Ronald Franklin Asheton (July 17, 1948 – c. January 6, 2009) was an American musician , who was best known as the guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter for the rock band the Stooges. He formed the Stooges along with Iggy Pop and his brother, ...

, In Vivo, The Mystery Band and others.

The Prime Movers

Hailing from Sierra Madre, California, The Prime Movers – Gary Putman on guitar and vocals, Severs Ramsey on vocals and bass and Curt Lichter on drums – formed in 1983, adapting their name from a favorite episode of the science fiction TV series,

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

. The band first garnered attention with the mini-LP "Museum" released in 1984 on Jah Paul Jo's indie label, Birdcage Records. ''Cashbox'' Magazine wrote in their edition of August 6, 1988, "Gary Putman weaves an ethereal tapestry which blends technical wizardry with pure emotion to create one of the most stylistically unique guitar sounds ever (Did you hear that, Les Paul?)." While playing the Southern California club circuit, the band landed a major label deal with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. A&R reps saw The Prime Movers at the legendary nightclub, Madame Wong's Chinatown and immediately signed the band to the label. Island Records UK released two singles and a self-titled EP that found favor with the English record buying public and were critically acclaimed by the British press. A song from the EP, "Strong As I Am," was featured song in the 1986 film '' Manhunter'', and on its soundtrack LP, as well as being released as the A-side of a single on

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

. A UK tour with

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scot ...

followed.

Dread Zeppelin

In 1987, The Prime Movers fell from favor with their label,

, and Ramsey hatched the idea to record new music under an assumed name – the crazier the concept the better. It was at this time Ramsey first used the Jah Paul Jo stage name as an homage to

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

bassist

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

. While recording demos for

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

as part of a songwriting publishing deal, Jo, along with

Carl Jah Carl Jah (Carl Haasis) is an American rock musician and co-founder of the band Dread Zeppelin. He was the lead guitarist with the band from its founding until 1995, and returned for a period in the 2000s. In 2012, he released his first solo album ...

, Curt Lichter (Cheese) and Gary Putman recorded two demos, "Memphis of the Mind" and "Earshot" that laid the groundwork for what would soon become

. Ramsey and Putman, as Jah Paul Jo and Put-Mon, recruited some old friends and entered their own, self-induced Musical Witness Protection Program:

was born. After selling over a million copies of their classic first album, ''

Un-Led-Ed ''Un-Led-Ed'' is the debut album by Dread Zeppelin, released in 1990. The album received a public endorsement by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant, who claimed he preferred Dread Zeppelin's cover of "Your Time Is Gonna Come" to the Led Zeppelin ...

'', success of a different kind consumed them. Jah Paul Jo, along with Rasta Li-Mon (R. Lee Manning), produced all titles by Dread Zeppelin through JPJo's 1995 finale, ''

No Quarter Pounder ''No Quarter Pounder'' is an album by the American band Dread Zeppelin, released in 1995. Its title is wordplay on the Led Zeppelin song "No Quarter", and the name of a McDonald's hamburger, the Quarter Pounder. The band promoted the album with a N ...

''. The band released eight CDs between the years 1989 – 1995, toured the world several times, appeared on television shows and portrayed themselves in the motion picture, ''

National Lampoon's Last Resort ''National Lampoon's Last Resort'' (also known as ''Last Resort'' or ''National Lampoon's Scuba School'') is a 1994 direct-to-video comedy film directed by Rafal Zielinski. The film stars Corey Feldman and Corey Haim as Sam and Dave, two friends w ...

''.

Birdcage Records

After leaving Dread Zeppelin, Jah Paul Jo started assembling his own independent record label roster. The first signing was fellow IRS Record alumnus

(

Wall of Voodoo Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and ...

), who contributed the solo album '' Black Diamond''. Next was a live/studio release by guitarist

, ''Thin Slm And None/Flunkie'', featuring twelve new originals and a live set of Stooges,

Destroy All Monsters is a 1968 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the ninth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and features eleven monster ...

and

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

covers. Jah Paul Jo accompanied the band on their European tour of 1996 that featured guest bassist, Michael Davis of the

. 1996 also saw the release of titles by Hecate's Angels (

Drywall Drywall (also called plasterboard, dry lining, wallboard, sheet rock, gypsum board, buster board, custard board, and gypsum panel) is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or without additives, typically extruded between thick ...

), A Thousand Other Names ( Shadowfax,

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been the guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex Cline, Alex, a percussionis ...

), Ed's Too Short (Produced by Jah Paul Jo and Rasta Li-Mon), The Mystery Band featuring members of

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

's Magic Band, Ghosthouse (Paisley Underground,

Steve Wynn Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...

) and others.

Dread Zeppelin's 20th anniversary

January 8, 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of Dread Zeppelin's first gig. To commemorate, Birdcage released ''Pure Inner-Tainment,'' the first DVD collection that compiled the best of the original band's video output. Jah Paul Jo launched a new Dread Zeppelin web site, Dread Zeppelin Dot TV, to promote the early band with the accent on their Birdcage releases.

Later work

Jah Paul Jo continued to perform sporadically while still running Birdcage Records. The Prime Movers, with new drummer, Gary Falasco, had a short-lived reunion and re-released their first album, 1984's ''Museum,'' for the first time on CD.

Death

Jah Paul Jo died on December 29, 2014, at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, California, after experiencing numerous health problems in his final years."Long-time Sierra Madrean Joe Ramsey Passes Away"
Sierra Madre News Net, January 10, 2015 (accessed 26 July 2015)

Discography

Singles

* "Chances" / "In Touch With You" – The Prime Movers (1983) 7" vinyl, Birdcage Records * "On The Trail" / "Strong As I Am" – The Prime Movers (1986) 7" vinyl, Island Records * "Dark Western Night" / "Lost In Your World" – The Prime Movers'' (1987) 7" vinyl, Island Records * "Strong As I Am" – The Prime Movers ('' Manhunter'' soundtrack) 7" vinyl MCA (1987) * "Immigrant Song" / "Hey Hey What Can I Do" – Dread Zeppelin (1989) 7" vinyl, Birdcage Records * "Whole Lotta Love" / "Tour-Telvis: A Bad Trip" – Dread Zeppelin (1989) 7" vinyl, Birdcage Records

Albums

* ''Museum – The Prime Movers'' (1984) 12" Vinyl, Birdcage Records * ''On The Trail/Strong As I Am/Kahlua House/She's Got Pages/The Outsider – The Prime Movers'' (1986) 12" Vinyl EP, Island Records * ''Dark Western Night/Lost in Your World/On The Trail (Live)/In Touch With You (Live) – The Prime Movers'' (1987) 12" Vinyl EP, Island Records * '' Manhunter Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – The Prime Movers (Strong As I Am) 12" Vinyl MCA (1987) * ''Spooked – The Prime Movers'' (1988) 12" Vinyl, Birdcage Records * ''Naked Lady Guitar – The Prime Movers'' (1989) 12" Vinyl, Birdcage Records * ''

'' – Dread Zeppelin (1990), I.R.S. Records * '' 5,000,000* *Tortelvis Fans Can't Be Wrong – Dread Zeppelin'' (1991), I.R.S. Records * '' Rock'n Roll – Dread Zeppelin'' (1991) JVC (Japan) * ''

It's Not Unusual "It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after having first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with h ...

– Dread Zeppelin'' (1992), I.R.S. Records * ''

Hot & Spicy Beanburger ''Hot and Spicy Beanburger'', released in 1993, is the fourth studio album by Dread Zeppelin. This album saw the return of Tortelvis, the lead singer who had left the band and did not appear on the previous album, ''It's Not Unusual''. Overview ...

– Dread Zeppelin'' (1993), Birdcage Records * ''The First No-Elvis – Dread Zeppelin'' (1994), Birdcage Records * ''

– Dread Zeppelin'' (1995), Birdcage Records * ''The Song Remains Insane – Dread Zeppelin'' (1998) * ''Museum – The Prime Movers'' (2005) CD, Birdcage Records * ''Pure Inner-Tainment DVD'' (2009)

Production (With Rasta Li-Mon)

* ''

'' – Dread Zeppelin (1990), I.R.S. Records * '' 5,000,000* *Tortelvis Fans Can't Be Wrong – Dread Zeppelin'' (1991), I.R.S. Records * '' Rock'n Roll – Dread Zeppelin'' (1991) JVC (Japan) * ''

– Dread Zeppelin'' (1992), I.R.S. Records * ''

– Dread Zeppelin'' (1993), Birdcage Records * ''The First No-Elvis – Dread Zeppelin'' (1994), Birdcage Records * ''

– Dread Zeppelin'' (1995), Birdcage Records * ''Ed's Too Short – Everything's Small'' (1996), Birdcage Records * ''The Song Remains Insane – Dread Zeppelin'' (1998), TWA Records (Australia)

Films

As an actor

* ''

'' (1994)

Soundtrack

* '' Manhunter'' (1987) * ''Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe'' (1990) * ''

'' (1994)

Related artists

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

Concrete Blonde Concrete Blonde was an American alternative rock band from Hollywood, California. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and reunited twice: first from 2001 to 2004, and again from 2010 to 2012. They were best known for their album ''Bloo ...

References

External links

Birdcage Records

Dread Zeppelin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jo, Jah Paul 1956 births 2014 deaths American experimental guitarists American male bass guitarists American keyboardists American male singer-songwriters American parodists American rock guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters I.R.S. Records artists Parody musicians Singer-songwriters from California People from Sierra Madre, California Guitarists from Los Angeles 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians