The Roots Radics Band was formed in 1978 by bass player Errol "Flabba" Holt, guitarist

Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont Eric Lamont (23 September 1955 - 31 December 1993), better known as Bingy Bunny, was a Jamaican guitarist and singer who recorded with the Roots Radics and The Morwells as well as recording solo material. He is regarded as one of Jamaica's most ...

and drummer Lincoln "Style" Scott. They were joined by many musicians, including guitarist Noel "Sowell" Bailey,

Dwight Pinkney Dwight Pinkney OD (born 1945), also known as Brother Dee, is a Jamaican guitarist best known for his work as a session musician and as a member of Zap Pow and the Roots Radics, who since 1999 has recorded as a solo artist. Biography Dwight Pi ...

and Steve Golding, keyboard player Wycliffe "Steelie" Johnson, Pianist Gladstone "Gladdy" Anderson and saxophonist

Headley Bennett Felix Headley Bennett OD (29 May 1931 – 21 August 2016), also known as Deadly Headley, was a Jamaican saxophonist who performed on hundreds of recordings since the 1950s. Biography Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Bennett attended the Alpha Boys ...

. As a combined force the Roots Radics became a well-respected

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

and stage band, which dominated the sound in the first half of the 1980s. In addition to their own catalogue, they have worked with artists such as

Bunny Wailer Neville O'Riley Livingston (10 April 1947 – 2 March 2021), known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. ...

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 ...

Michael Prophet Michael George Haynes (3 March 1957 – 16 December 2017), known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s ...

Eek-A-Mouse Eek-A-Mouse (born Ripton Joseph Hylton, 19 November 1957) is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the earliest artists to be described as a " singjay".Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide To Reggae, 3rd edn.", Rough Guides, ...

, and

Israel Vibration Israel Vibration are a reggae harmony group, originating from Kingston, Jamaica. Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence all suffered from childhood polio, and went on to be a Jamaican roots reggae grou ...

. In 1979, the band recorded the

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

s for

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 Bl ...

's first songs for producer

Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1960 in Kingston, Jamaica – 13 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...

, credited at the time as the Channel One Stars. As a sought after studio lineup, Roots Radics backed several reggae stars in the studio and on tour. For example, they appear on several

albums: ''Bubble Up Yu Hip'' (1980), ''Wa-Do-Dem'' (1981), ''Skidip'' (1982), ''The Mouse and the Man'' (1983) and ''Assassinator'' (1983). They backed reggae superstar

on his album '' Night Nurse'' (1982), and are often credited on releases by

Prince Far I Prince Far I (23 March 1945 – 15 September 1983) was a Jamaican reggae deejay and producer, and a Rastafarian. He was known for his gruff voice and critical assessment of the Jamaican government. His track "Heavy Manners" used lyrics about ...

, both on his solo recording work, and as part of producer

Adrian Sherwood Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing technique ...

's studio supergroup

Singers and Players Singers & Players were a reggae collective made up of vocalists and musicians associated with Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound Records. They recorded five albums between 1981 and 1988. Including artists such as Bim Sherman, Prince Far I and Mikey D ...

. Johnson went on to become half of the production duo Steely and Clevie. Bailey died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in July 2014, aged 61. Lincoln 'Style' Scott was shot dead in his home 9 October 2014. In 2019 they received their first Grammy nomination for the album ''The Final Battle: Sly & Robbie vs Roots Radics'', a collaboration with

Sly & 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 separ ...

that was produced by Hernan "Don Camel" Sforzini.

Discography

Albums

* ''Dangerous Dub'' (1981),

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English Fol ...

* ''Live at Channel One Kingston Jamaica'' (1982), Channel One * ''Radical Dub Session'' (1982), Solid Groove * ''12 Inches of Dub'' (2019),

VP Records VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York (state), New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and Soca music, soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami ...

* ''The Final Battle: Sly & Robbie vs Roots Radics '' (2019), Serious reggae * ''The Dub Battle: Sly & Robbie vs Roots Radics '' (2021), Serious reggae

Collaborative albums

* ''Alborosie Meets The Roots Radics – Dub For The Radicals'' (2019), Greensleeves

References

External links

The Roots Radics at Discogs
* Jamaican backing bands Jamaican reggae musical groups {{Reggae-musician-stub