John Brown's Body is an eight-piece reggae and dub band based out of
Ithaca, New York and
Boston, Massachusetts. They have been together for two decades and have been hailed as "Future Roots, Reggae and Dub with an intricately balanced weaving of vocals, percussion, keyboard, bass, guitar and a stunning three-piece horn section that ties it all together" (WRUV). John Brown's Body (or JBB) is building "a legacy that has inspired and carved a path for the now thriving contemporary American reggae scene" (Rudeboy Reggae).
Formed in Ithaca, New York, in the mid 1990s, at a time when there wasn't yet a far-reaching U.S. reggae scene, JBB was one of a small handful of U.S. reggae bands that began touring nationally. Since then, JBB has played an important role in helping define distinctly "American reggae." JBB's music is steeped in traditional vibes, but unapologetically incorporates elements from other genres. While most American reggae bands tackled typical reggae themes (such as religion and marijuana), JBB acted more like an indie band, writing songs that used the vocabulary of reggae to express their own experiences. Their unique approach resonated with the masses.
The group's 2008 full-length record, ''Amplify'', hit #1 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Reggae Chart followed by 2012's ''JBB In Dub'' reaching #1 on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
Reggae Chart. They also topped both Billboard and iTunes Reggae Charts at #1 with 2013's ''Kings And Queens'' and 2016's ''Fireflies''.
Today, JBB's signature style has become the norm for U.S. reggae bands, and many in the genre admittedly point to John Brown's Body as a key influence. Their eleventh studio release, ''Fireflies'' was released September 9, 2016 on
Easy Star Records
Easy Star Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996. Based in New York City, the label primarily produces and releases albums in the genres of reggae and dub.
The label has had multiple albums chart at No. 1 on the ''Bill ...
and debuted at #1 on the Billboard and iTunes Reggae charts.
History
Formation, development, and studio albums (1996-2006)
John Brown's Body was formed in the mid-1990s. Beginning in 1996, JBB released their first studio album, ''All Time'' on their own label, I-Town Records. The album made ''
Rolling Stone''s "Top 10 Indie Records List".
Following their debut, JBB signed with reggae label
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller.
It was previously distribu ...
, then released three albums; their sophomore album, ''Among Them'' in 1998, their third album, ''This Day'' in 2000, and their fourth album, ''Spirits All Around Us'' in 2002.
The
Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...
called JBB "one of the world's best roots-style reggae bands" following the release of ''This Day''. After positive reviews, the band appeared at
Bob Marley Day Festival in
Miami, Florida, alongside
Lauryn Hill and other artists. However, after the release of ''This Day'', Mike Keenan left JBB to raise his children, Oscar and Damon (Damon in 2004) and returned in 2006, but was not an "official" member until 2006.
Also, after the release of ''Spirits All Around Us'', the band had become a national name. The appeared at
The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
The Udaipur World Music Festival is a cultural event held at Udaipur city in the state of Rajasthan. In this event, artists from around the globe joins to give a variety of performances. The World Music Festival is scheduled to be an annual ev ...
,
Reggae on the Rocks
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 Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popu ...
and
Wakarusa Wakarusa can refer to several things in the United States:
* Wakarusa, Indiana
* Wakarusa, Kansas
* The Wakarusa River, a tributary of the Kansas River
* The Wakarusa War, part of the Bleeding Kansas violence before the American Civil War
* Wakarus ...
.
In 2005, JBB signed with
New York City record label Easy Star and released their fifth studio album ''Pressure Points'', evolving from a traditional roots approach to a twist on reggae and dub they titled "Future Roots". ''Pressure Points'' was critically acclaimed and the
Village Voice review called JBB "reverent as well as revolutionary", while
Popmatters described the record as their "strongest, most consistent effort to date." Elliot Martin wrote 8 out of 11 songs, while Martin had only written a few songs from previous albums.
Kevin Kinsella
Kevin Kinsella is a reggae and roots rock musician who has participated in 28 studio albums since 1987. He is a founding member of John Brown's Body and 10 Foot Ganja Plant. He lives in Ithaca, New York. He has been noted as one of the pioneers ...
wrote the other three.
Disaster, departures, and recovery (2006-2009)
Tragedy struck when
bassist
A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...
Scott Palmer died from cancer.
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
Martin and drummer/co-founder Tommy Benedetti continued the band.
The band recruited Boston bassist Nate Edgar to replace Scott; he had been a fan since seeing Scott playing years earlier with
DJ Logic's Project Logic.
More JBB line-up changes include the departure of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Kinsella who had formally left the band on good terms and
organist/guitarist Nate "Silas" Richardson who stepped out to spend more time with his newborn son.
JBB replaced Richardson with guitarist Keenan who was a member of The Tribulations and a previous member of the band who also stepped out to raise his children. JBB continued to tour. Near the end of the journey, Dan Delacruz left the band and Chris "C-Money" Welter who joined the punk-reggae band
Slightly Stoopid
Slightly Stoopid is an American band based in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California, who describe their music as "a fusion of folk, rock, reggae and blues with hip-hop, funk, metal and punk." As a band, they have released thirt ...
.
Kinsella's departure freed Martin to become the band leader and he pointed them in new musical directions. For years, a creative rift separated the two primary songwriters and childhood friends. Kinsella's songs tended towards religious and roots-reggae sounds, more like the band's beginnings, while Martin's writing emphasized futuristic and atypical rhythms, as well as dense metaphorical imagery. "I used to think that having two songwriters and vocalists was a strength that made us unique, but it probably confused a lot of people. Now our sound is more cohesive," says Benedetti, "We feel comfortable with one another and you can hear it in the music we're creating."
Just before Kinsella's exit, Martin wrote three 'rooster' tracks, "Give Yourself Over", "Speak of the Devil", and "Be at Peace". When Kinsella quit, Martin felt less pressure to make everything fit within a perceived JBB sound. He then wrote "The Gold", an up-beat drum and bass-inflected tune featuring a guitar line reminiscent of an
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
Spaghetti Western
The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
soundtrack and "Make Your Move", which brought the band closer to hip-hop. According to Martin, the title track was one of the band's original ideas. He stated "the seeds for that one
'The Gold''are five years old. It was originally a
hip hop beat, like a
Funkadelic song. The bass line was the same, but much more slinky. I didn't know what it would become, but I knew it should be the lead for this record."
In 2007, the band went into the studio to work on their sixth record at More Sound, a recording studio owned by sound engineer Jason "Jocko" Randall in
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
. During that time, Elliot began to notice problems with his vocal strength and endurance. After months of doctor visits and vocal training, the problem was diagnosed with
vocal polyps. In early 2008, Martin had surgery to remove the polyps on his vocal chords and began voice training to teach him how to lessen the strain on his throat. Another quote from the band's website states "I feel better every day. Each show back after surgery, I could feel myself getting stronger. Now I think I'm doing things I couldn't even do before," along with saying, "Add that to the energy of the new line-up and this new batch of songs."
The band released ''Amplify'' on
New York City label Easy Star Records. ''Amplify'' debuted at #1 on ''Billboard''s Reggae Albums charts, #10 on
CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
's World Music Chart, as well as making it on the
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
"Beat of 2008" list for reggae records. The band toured across the U.S. for the first time in nearly two years.
All Music Guide
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 ...
wrote that "Elliot Martin has taken firmer control of the group and now it is
BBnow a completely different organism; although the John Brown's Body sound is still distinctly reggae-ish, it's denser, swirlier, sometimes downright funky and loaded with more melodic hooks."
Success and touring: ''Re-Amplify EP'' (2009-2010)
On March 17, 2009, JBB released their first remix EP ''Re-Amplify'' under the Easy Star label. It debuted in the ''Billboard'' Reggae Top 10. The EP featured remixes of JBB's ''Amplify'' album by artists from around the world including
Dubmatix Dubmatix is a Canadian reggae and electronic music artist and producer based in Toronto, Ontario. He has won a number of Juno Awards.
Early life
Dubmatix was born Jesse E. King. He is the son of jazz keyboardist Bill King. (from ''
Toronto''), WrongTom (from ''
London'') and their friend Kasongo from
Gym Class Heroes
Gym Class Heroes was an American rap rock band from Geneva, New York. The group formed in 1997 when Travie McCoy met drummer Matt McGinley during their high school gym class. The band's music displays a wide variety of influences, including hip h ...
.
After a few changes to the horn section, JBB brought in trombonist Scott Flynn, saxophonist Drew Sayers and trumpet player Sam Dechenne. In 2009, the band traveled to the
United Kingdom for 16 shows with labelmates
Easy Star All-Stars
Easy Star All-Stars is a reggae collective founded in 1997 by Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein of New York City-based Easy Star Records. The band is known for its reinterpretations of classic albums in reggae styl ...
and 11 shows in
New Zealand with
The Black Seeds, also Easy Start label mates. The tour led to a musical brotherhood with The Black Seeds and they later performed together at the 2010
Grassroots Music Festival in
Ithaca, NY
Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...
.
In December 2009, JBB covered "
Bankrobber
"Bankrobber" is a song by English punk rock band The Clash. The song was not released on any of their studio albums, instead appearing on their compilation ''Black Market Clash''. Upon its 1980 release as a single (initially available in the UK ...
" by
The Clash for a charity record named ''Shatter the Hotel: The Songs of
Joe Strummer in
Dub''. All proceeds from the record went to benefit
Strummerville
The Joe Strummer Foundation is a non-profit organisation which promotes the development of new music. It was established in memory of punk rock singer and guitarist Joe Strummer shortly after his death in December 2002. Strummer's widow Lucin ...
: The Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music.
In 2010, JBB performed on Jam Cruise off the coast of
Jamaica and
Grand Cayman Island. Then, in April through May 2010, the group performed their first tours ever in
France,
Belgium,
Germany, the
Netherlands and in
Canada performing at festivals and headlining clubs.
Return to the studio: ''Kings and Queens'' and ''Fireflies'' (2013–2016)
On April 16, 2013, JBB released its eighth studio album, ''Kings and Queens''.
Neil Kelly
Neil Kelly (born 10 May 1962) is an English rugby league coach and former professional player who was the head coach of Cornwall RLFC.
He played club level rugby league for Dewsbury Rams (two spells), Featherstone Rovers, Wakefield Trinity an ...
of ''
PopMatters'' wrote about the album, "where they have stayed true to their roots on previous releases, JBB incorporates many electronic embellishments and elements on ''Kings and Queens'', giving the album as a whole a modern, American touch." The album featured 12 new tracks and was released on iTunes download,
CD and 180 gram
vinyl LP
The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...
. The latter was the first time that a vinyl version was readily available for fan consumption. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard and iTunes Reggae charts. It also reached #23 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart, #4 on the Northeast New Artist Chart, and #188 on the Top 200 Digital Albums.
In September 2016, the band released the album ''Fireflies'', which went on to top the ''Billboard'' Reggae Albums Chart.
Influences
Elliot Martin stated that while writing ''Amplify'' he was influenced by artists including
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fron ...
, Batch,
Toumani Diabate,
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separa ...
,
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
,
Talib Kweli,
Aswad
Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tur ...
,
Funkadelic,
King Tubby,
Roots Manuva,
Masaru Sato and
Midnite (whose lead singer, Vaughn Benjamin, lends a vocal to the end of "Speak Of The Devil").
"I think that the strongest reggae was coming out of the UK in the 70's and early 80's," Elliot explains. "It was the best produced, had the most complex songwriting; it's the most progressive reggae that's been made.
Steel Pulse,
Aswad
Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tur ...
, Reggae Regular,
Misty in Roots,
Mikey Dread,
Dennis Bovell
Dennis Bovell (born 22 May 1953Huey, Steve"Dennis Bovell Biography" Allmusic. Retrieved 27 December 2014.) is a Barbados-born reggae guitarist, bass player and record producer, based in England. He was a member of the British reggae band Mat ...
and
Linton Kwesi Johnson were doing groundbreaking stuff. I want to pick up where those artists left off. Of course, we don't come close to what those artists did, but I think that's where the idea comes from—that reggae can take other forms. I guess I'm just saying that I see our music as progressive reggae."
Awards
*2010: #2 ZonaReGGae BEST of '09 - The People 'REVIVAL'
ortugal*2009: Best of 2009 Reggae Records – ZonaReggae
ortugal*2008: #1 Billboard Reggae Chart debut
*2008: CMJ World Music Chart Top 10 debut
*2008: iTunes Top 10 Reggae Records selection of 2008
*2008: Best Dance/Dub/Club Album nomination NAR Lifestyle Music Awards
arcelona, Spain*2008: Most Anticipated Albums of 2008 – ThePier.org
Recent collaborations
Martin performed vocals with Iowa reggae band Public Property on their album ''Work to Do''. Martin Collaborated with the
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
based band
Can't Hang
"Can't Hang" / "Do You Want To" is Xscape's fourth single from their second studio album ''Off the Hook'' that featured rapper MC Lyte. The song reached number #50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number #9 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Single ...
on their 2009 Release ''Ride The Lightrail.''
Discography
Studio albums
EP's/Live & Dub albums
Singles
References
External links
Official websiteLive Recordings from Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:John Browns Body
American reggae musical groups
Easy Star Records artists