The Sattalites are a Canadian

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 ...

group. Founded in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

as a

music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

in 1981, the band has become one of the most successful Canadian reggae ensembles. They signed with the Canadian

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Solid Gold Records Linus Entertainment is a music company operating as an independent record label, distributor and music publisher. While founded in Mississauga, Ontario, Linus spent many years in Burlington, Ontario before recently moving operations to Waterdow ...

early in their career and have been with them ever since. Their style has been described as a radio-friendly combination of lover's rock and dancehall.

History

Jo Jo Bennett and Fergus Hambleton, the first members of the Sattalites, met while touring with reggae singer Afreen and the pair began performing together, mixing Bennett's instrumentals with Hambleton's smooth alto voice to create the Sattalites' sound. The band started as a teaching group who opened the Sattalites Music School on a pay-what-you-can basis to spread their influence in 1981. The Sattalites consisted of various types of students from the school who wanted a sense of live performing. By 1982, the Sattalites had melded into a collaboration of musicians from talented beginners to experienced pros, some of whom still perform. They became very well known for their enthusiastic live performances which initiated their extensive touring across Canada and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It was the only Canadian band ever invited to play at

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

's "

Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival. The festival ran annually until 1996, with a final event in 1998, befo ...

", playing before 25,000 people, and they also performed at the 1993/94 World Skiing Championship in

Whistler, British Columbia Whistler ( Lillooet/Ucwalmícwts: Cwitima, ; Squamish/Sḵwx̱wú7mesh: Sḵwiḵw, ) is a resort municipality in Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Moun ...

. As two-time

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

winners, the Sattalites are one of Canada's longest standing reggae groups.

Members

Fergus Hambleton has been the lead vocalist of the Sattalites since the band's beginning. He also plays the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, alto saxophone and the

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

and has played in other bands including A Passing Fancy and the Ginger Group. Vocalist Jo Jo Bennett, a founding member of the group, also played the flugelhorn and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

. The other six members are David Fowler (keyboards), Bruce McGillivray (bass), Neville Francis(rhythm guitar, backup, and lead vocals), Junior McPherson (drums and percussion), Rick Morrison (saxophone) and Bruce 'Preacher' Robinson (piano and vocals). During the 1980s and 1990s, Felix Taylor played

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

and sang

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

. Neil Chapman was a member for their first three albums, playing lead guitar, and has also guested on later recordings as well live on stage.

Discography

;Albums * 1985 ''Sattalites'' * 1987 ''Live via Sattalites'' * 1989 ''Miracles'' * 1993 ''All Over the World'' * 1995 ''Now and Forever'' * 2003 ''Reggaefication'' ;Singles * "Wild" * “ Gimme Some Kinda Sign” (#44 Can Pop / #9 Can AC) * “ Too Late to Turn Back Now” (#17 Can AC / #1 CanCon) * “Now and Forever” * “I’m Gonna Be The One” * “Miracles” * "The Reason Why" * “Rendezvous” * “Walkin On Sunshine”

References

External links

The Sattalites catalog at Solid Gold Records

* * {{Imdb name, id=3625147 Canadian reggae musical groups Canadian ska groups Musical groups from Toronto Musical groups established in 1981 1981 establishments in Ontario Juno Award for Reggae Recording of the Year winners