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The Wailing Souls (originally The Renegades) are a Jamaican
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 ...
vocal group whose origins date back to the 1960s. The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years with Winston "Pipe" Matthews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald the only constant members. They have been nominated for
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s three times.


History


Formation and Studio One era

The group was originally formed as The Renegades in 1966, comprising Winston "Pipe" Matthews, Lloyd "Bread" McDonald, and George "Buddy" Haye, who had attended the same vocal classes held by
Joe Higgs Joseph Benjamin Higgs (3 June 1940 – 18 December 1999) was a reggae musician from Jamaica. In the late 1950s and 1960s he was part of the duo Higgs and Wilson together with Roy Wilson. He was a popular artist in Jamaica for four decades and is ...
in the early 1960s as
The Wailers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 297-300Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 22, 160Steckles, Garry (1984)
Souls 'discovered' after 20 years
, ''
Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...
'', 16 February 1984, p. D-10, retrieved 14 September 2012
Matthews had previously recorded as a member of The Schoolboys for
Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...
.Greene, Jo-Ann
The Wailing Souls Biography
,
Allmusic 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 ...
, retrieved 14 September 2012
They recorded as backing singers with
Ernest Ranglin Ernest Ranglin (born 19 June 1932) is a Jamaican guitarist and composer who established his career while working as a session guitarist and music director for various Jamaican record labels including Studio One and Island Records. Ranglin pla ...
and released their own debut single, "Lost Love", before recording several singles for
Clement "Coxsone" Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent a ...
's Studio One label, including "Back Out With It", "Row Fisherman Row", and "Mr. Fire Coal Man".Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 313 The group became The Wailing Souls in 1968 and in the same year Haye left and new members Oswald Downer and Norman Davis joined. Under the new name they recorded singles such as "Dungeon" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal".


1970s

In 1970 the group began working with producer
Lloyd Daley Lloyd Daley also known as Lloyd's the Matador (born 12 July 1939, Kingston, Jamaica, died 18 March 2018, Florida, USA Allmusic.com/ref>) was a Jamaican electronic technician, sound system pioneer, studio engineer and reggae producer. Career D ...
, releasing the "Gold Digger" single. In this period, their singles were often released under names such as The Little Roys, The Classics, Atarra, and Pipe and the Pipers, to avoid confusion with The Wailers.Foster, Chuck (1999) ''Roots Rock Reggae'', Billboard Books, , p. 81-90 They went on to record with members of the Wailers later that year on the
Tuff Gong Tuff Gong is the brand name associated with a number of businesses started by Bob Marley and Rita Marley#Children, the Marley family. 'Tuff Gong' comes from Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari ...
singles "Harbour Shark", "Walk Walk Walk", and "You Should've Known Better". By 1974 Downer and Davis had left, and original member Buddy Haye returned, along with Joe Higgs, although Higgs' tenure in the band was short-lived as he was recruited for a US tour with
Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...
. His replacement was Rudolph "Garth" Dennis, a founder member of
Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...
. In the mid-1970s, The Wailing Souls association with producer
Joseph Hoo Kim Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim (10 December 1942 – 20 September 2018) was a Jamaican reggae record producer best known for his productions in the 1970s at his Channel One Studios. Career Born to parents of Chinese heritage, Joseph Hoo Kim grew up in ...
and his
Channel One Studios Channel One is a recording studio in Maxfield Avenue, West Kingston, Jamaica.Campbell, Howard (2014)Making magic at Channel One, ''Jamaica Observer'', 17 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014 The studio was built by the Hoo Kim brothers in 1972, and ...
brought them a string of hits, backed by house band
The Revolutionaries The Revolutionaries (sometimes known as "Revolutionaires") was a Jamaican reggae band. Career Set up in 1975 as the house band of the Channel One Studios owned by Joseph Hoo Kim, The Revolutionaries with Sly Dunbar on drums and Bertram "Ranc ...
, including "Back Biter", "Very Well", "Things and Time", "Jah Jah Give Us Life", and "War". In 1977 the band started their own 'Massive' label, further hits following in "Bredda Gravalicious" and "Feel the Spirit". The band's success reached another level in 1978 when their ''Wild Suspense'' album, featuring remixed tracks from their singles, was released internationally by
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 ...
.


1980s

In the early 1980s they recorded with
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 ...
for the duo's Taxi label and continued to record at Channel One 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 ...
, singles from this era including "Fire House Rock", which was the title track from their 1980 album, released by
Greensleeves Records Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to ''Greensleeves Records'', is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records star ...
. In the same era they also worked with other producers such as
Linval Thompson Leval Alphonso Thompson (born 12 October 1954, Kingston, Jamaica), also known as Linval Thompson, is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and record producer. Biography Thompson was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, but spent time with his mother in ...
(''Wailing''). From 1981 to 1984 they were largely based in the United States, and on their return to Jamaica, Haye stayed behind as did Dennis, until he returned to Jamaica and Black Uhuru in 1985. Remaining members Matthews and McDonald launched a new era of the group in 1986 with singer Ziggy Thomas added to the line-up, working with producer Delroy Wright and going on to release the albums ''Lay It on the Line'' (1986) and ''Kingston 14'' (1987), and recording ''Reggae in a Firehouse'' in 1988, although it was not released until 1991. They moved on to work with
King Jammy Lloyd James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub ma ...
on the 1989 album ''Stormy Night'' which was successful enough in the US to prompt the group to return there in 1991.


Major label era and later work

After moving to the US they added new member Maisha and signed to
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
's Chaos label. Their first major label album, ''All Over the World'' (1992) received a
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nomination the following year, and they became the first reggae group to appear on ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
''. Four tracks from the album were used on the soundtrack of the film '' Cool Runnings''. A second album for Sony, ''Live On'' (1994), this time released on the
Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...
label, failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, and the group were dropped. They continued to record, releasing the ''Tension'' album in 1997, and the covers album ''Psychedelic Souls'' in 1998, which was recorded with members of Sublime and the
Long Beach Dub Allstars The Long Beach Dub Allstars are an American dub/ska/rock band formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2002, but reformed 10 years later. History Initial career (1997–2001) Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh met in childhood (in 1979) and later started their ...
, and brought the group a second Grammy nomination."Reggae's Wailing Souls Play Monday", ''
Arizona Daily Star The ''Arizona Daily Star'' is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. History L. C. Hughes was the Arizona Territory governor and founder of the ''Arizona Star'', ...
'', 4 May 2001
Taylor, Lewis (2000)
Wailing Souls Return to Roots, Rock, Reggae
, '' Eugene Register-Guard'', 8 December 2000, p. 22, retrieved 14 September 2012
The self-produced ''Equality'' followed in 2000, which featured reworkings of old songs recorded with Sly and Robbie, and saw the band receive their third Grammy nomination.Oumano, Elena (1998)
Pow Wow's Souls Put Spin on Classic Songs
, ''
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 ...
'', 12 September 1998, p. 17, retrieved 14 September 2012
Hay, Carla (2000)
Wailing Souls Promote 'Equality' on MusicBlitz Set
, ''
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 ...
'', 24 June 2000, p. 13, retrieved 14 September 2012
Deeds, Michael (2001) "Wailing Souls Pack Quite a Resume", ''
The Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...
'', 13 April 2001, retrieved 14 September 2012
They also contributed the song "Renegade Survivor" to the soundtrack of the animated motion picture ''
Titan A.E. ''Titan A.E.'' is a 2000 American animated science fiction film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, and starring Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo and Drew Barrymore. Its title refers to the spacecraft ...
'' in 2000. In 2006 they released ''Classic Jamaican Flava'', a two disc set featuring a compact disc and a DVD of a live performance in San Francisco, California. In 2008 Dennis returned to the group.The 'Souls' Reunite
, ''
Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...
'', 7 October 2008, retrieved 14 September 2012
Their track "Things and Time" was included in the soundtrack of the 2010 film '' Dear John''.Wailing Souls' Things and Time featured in Dear John soundtrack
, ''
Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...
'', 10 February 2010, retrieved 14 September 2012
In April 2015 it was reported that McDonald and Matthews were working on a new album with
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 ...
. The group released the album ''Island Girl'' in 2017.Campbell, Howard (2015)
Wailing Souls hope to chart comeback
, ''
Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...
'', 9 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015
The group have recorded
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of a wide variety of songs, such as
Kate and Anna McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed until Kate McGarrigle's death on January 18, 2010. Music ...
's "
Heartbeats Accelerating ''Heartbeats Accelerating'' is the sixth album by Kate & Anna McGarrigle, released in 1990. It was their first album in eight years, after '' Love Over and Over'' in 1982, and received favourable reviews from many music critics. Bill Dillon, Pie ...
",
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
's "
My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...
",
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' "
Tomorrow Never Knows "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in August 1966 as the final track on their album ''Revolver'', although it was the firs ...
",
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's "
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", and
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
' "Black Angel".No Reggae, No Cry
, ''
Monterey County Weekly The ''Monterey County Weekly'' (sometimes called the "Weekly," formerly the ''Coast Weekly.'') is a locally owned and independent newsmedia company founded in 1988. As per the publication's name, it publishes in print weekly, and since 2020 onli ...
'', 30 August 2007,
Tanzilo, Robert (1992)
Wailing Souls Return to the Roots
, ''
Milwaukee Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...
'', 10 July 1992, retrieved 14 September 2012
Influenced by "War Deh Round a John Shop", Sublime altered the Wailing Souls song and renamed it "Pawn Shop".


Discography


Studio albums


Live albums


Compilations


Singles

* "Lost Love" (196?) – as The Renegades * "Bongonyah" (1969), Camel – as The Little Roys * "Fight Them" (1970), Camel – as The Little Roys * "Gold Digger" (1970), Camel – as The Little Roys * "Selassie Want Us Back" (1970), Camel – as The Little Roys * "Row Fisherman Row" (1970), Banana * "Back Out" (1970), Banana * "Mr. Fire Coal Man" * "Walk Walk Walk" (1971), Banana * "Harbour Shark" (1971), Green Door * "Dungeon" (1972), Punch * "You Should've Known Better" (1972), Punch * "Don't Fight It" (1972), Coxsone * "Wicked A Go Dread" (1973), Del Prado - as Pipe & The Pipers (also Micron '75 reissue) * "War" (1974), Channel One – with
Ranking Trevor Maxwell Grant (20 January 1960 – 7 August 2012), better known as Ranking Trevor and sometimes as Ranking Superstar, was a Jamaican reggae deejay. Biography Grant began deejaying as a teenager in the 1970s, and began his recording career at the ...
* "Things and Time" (1974), Channel One * "Back Out" (1976), Conflict * "Feel the Spirit" (1976), Massive * "Bredda Gravalicious" (1977), Massive * "Something Funny" (1978), Island * "Fire Mus Mus Tail" (1978), Channel One * "Very Well" (1978), Channel One * "Joy Within Your Heart" (1978), Well Charge/Hitbound * "Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall" (1980), Greensleeves * "Lawless Society" (1980), Channel One * "Old Broom" (1980), Taxi * "Sweet Sugar Plum" (1980), Taxi * "See Baba Joe" (1980), Greensleeves – B-side of
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 ...
's "Help Them Please" * "Stick Together" (1980), Studio One * "Rude Boy Say Him Bad" (1981), Cha Cha * "Penny I Love You" (1981), Cha Cha * "Waterhouse Rock" (1981), Jah Guidance * "Bandit Taking Over" (1981), Jah Guidance * "Run Dem Down" (1981), Jah Guidance * "Up Front" (1981), Greensleeves * "Who No Waan Come" (1981), Greensleeves * "Stalk a Sensimenia" (198?), Thompson Sound * "Down Hearted" (198?), Thompson Sound * "Wha Happen Dey" (198?), Gorgon * "I Shent Thee" (1982), Jah Guidance * "Baby Come Back" (1982), Volcano * "Take a Taste" (1982), Jah Guidance * "Sweetie Come Brush Me" (1982), Arrival * "Grabbing and Running" (1982), Cha Cha * "Take We Back" (1982), Jah Guidance * "Diamonds & Pearls" (1982), Greensleeves * "They Don't Know Jah" (1982), Greensleeves * "Rastaman" (1982), Jah Guidance * "Bounce Back" (1983), Greensleeves * "Water Pumpee" (1983), Greensleeves * "Take a Taste" (1983), Upfront * "War Deh Round A John Shop" (1984), Greensleeves * "Who Fa Say a The Best" (1985), Rockers Forever – B-side of
Johnny Osbourne Johnny Osbourne (born Errol Osbourne, 1948) is one of the most popular Jamaican reggae and dancehall singers of all time, who rose to success in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. His album '' Truths and Rights'' was a roots reggae success, and feat ...
's "If Jah Didn't Love You" * "Dance Hall Nice Again" (1986), Tuff Gong * "Lay It on the Line" (1986), Live & Learn * "Informer" (1987), Live & Learn * "Dog Bite" (1987), Live & Love * "Full Moon" (1987), Live & Learn * "Shark Attack" (1992), Chaos * "All Over the World" (1992), Columbia * "If I Were You" (1992), Chaos * "Wild Wild Life" (1994), Columbia * "Row Fisherman Row" (1997), Big Ship * "Tension" (1997) * "Kingdom Rise" (2000), Thompson Sound * "World Abomination" (2004), Famous * "Firehouse Rock" (2006), Jah Guidance


References


External links


United Reggae


* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wailing Souls Jamaican reggae musical groups Island Records artists Greensleeves Records artists