rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...
/
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 trio led by Keble Drummond, who recorded for Studio One in the late 1960s.
History
The group was led by Keble Drummond (sometimes spelled Keeble), whose first name led to the name of the group.Peter I (2004) Interview With The Cables , ''Reggae Vibes'' Drummond explained "Now, I look at something with a cable and wires, and I say, well, 'Cables' would be a good name because you could send a message across the world, and that's how I came up with the name". He was backed by harmony singers Elbert Stewart (baritone) and Vince Stoddart (tenor).Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, Drummond was taught the basics of guitar by Peter Austin of
The Clarendonians
The Clarendonians are a ska and rocksteady vocal group from Jamaica, active initially from the mid- to late 1960s. They reformed in the 1990s and continue to perform live.
History
The Clarendonians were originally Fitzroy "Ernest" Wilson and P ...
and write his first songs after attending a songwriting course. Drummond had previously been a member of The Sylastians, along with Barry Llewellyn and Earl Morgan of
The Heptones
The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady into ...
, and Clive Campbell of The Aces, and the Cables were first formed in 1962.Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, After recording a single for
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD ( Durrant; 21 June 1931 – 3 November 2010)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 316 Studio One boss
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 ...
built up demand for the "Baby Why" single by limiting it to sound system plays for four months before releasing it. The rhythm tracks were later employed by Dodd on several tracks by other artists. Unsatisfied with the lack of money received from Dodd, The Cables recorded for
Harry J
Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer.
Biography
Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player bef ...
while they were still under contract to Studio One, with Drummond altering his voice and the single released under the name "Herbie Carter" (a real singer who recorded for Harry J) to avoid Dodd finding out. By 1970, The Cables had left Studio One. "(Everybody) Feel Alright" was entered into the Festival Song Contest in 1971, losing out to
Eric Donaldson
Eric Donaldson (born 11 June 1947 in Bog Walk, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter. He originated in Saint Catherine, Jamaica.
Biography
Born in Kent Village, about 2 miles from Bog Walk, Donaldson first recorded for Studio One ...
's "Cherry Oh Baby". They recorded a few more singles for producers such as J.J. Johnson,
Harry J
Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer.
Biography
Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player bef ...
, and
Bunny Lee
Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...
("Come On", recorded with
Slim Smith
Slim Smith (born Keith Smith; 1948 in Kingston, Jamaica – 1972) was a ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. In their book ''Reggae: The Rough Guide'' (1997), Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton described Smith as "the greatest vocalist to emerge ...
), but failed to repeat their Studio One success. Drummond left the group to embark on an unsuccessful solo career in 1972, and briefly formed a new group, True Experience, with Trevor Shields and Bobby Ellis, releasing "My Girl" in 1974.
"Baby Why" formed the basis of
deejay
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
tracks from both
Dennis Alcapone
Dennis Alcapone (born Dennis Smith, 6 August 1947, in Clarendon, Jamaica) is a reggae DJ and producer.
Career
Smith initially trained as a welder and worked for the Jamaica Public Services.Interview with Aad van der Hoek in London, England, ...
and
Prince Jazzbo
Linval Roy Carter (3 September 1951 – 11 September 2013), better known as Prince Jazzbo, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay and producer.
Career
Born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, and raised in Kingston, Linval Roy Carter (who wou ...
, and the rhythm was used by The Gladiators for their 1974 track "Rearrange".Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (1999) "Reggae: 100 Essential CDs", Rough Guides,
A second album, ''Baby Why'', produced by Harry J, was recorded in 1977, where they were backed by musicians from The in Crowd and
Third World
The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...
.
The Cables have reformed several times in the years that followed. Drummond earned a living working in a shoe factory during The Cables' peak and moved to the United States in 1979, later working for
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
.
A third album, also titles ''Baby Why'' and credited to "Cables and friends" was issued in 1993, and led to The Cables performing at the 1994 ''
Reggae 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 ...
'' festival.
The three original members, along with tenor Owen "Bobby" Dockery, reunited in 2011 to perform at the
Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival is an annual music festival held every June on the weekend of (or the weekend following) the summer solstice. It is currently held at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, California.
History
The fe ...
in California.
Drummond released a solo album, ''Mellow Moods of Music'', in August 2013.Campbell, Howard (2013) Keble Drummond's Mellow Moods , ''
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 ...
'', 7 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013
Discography
Albums
*'' What Kind of World'' (1970) Studio One
*''Baby Why'' (1977) Harry J
*''Baby Why'' (2002) VP (Cables and friends)
;Keble Drummond:
*''Mellow Moods of Music'' (2013)
Singles
;The Cables:
*"Happy End" SEP
*"I've Made Up My Mind" aka "Good Luck to You" (1966) Gay Disc
*"You Betrayed Me" (1967) SEP
*"What Kind of World" (1968) Studio One/Coxsone
*"Baby Why" (1968) Studio One
*"Love Is a Pleasure" (1968) Studio One
*"Cheer Up" (1968) Studio One
*"So Long" (1969) Bamboo
*"Got to Find Someone" (1969) Studio One
*"Happy Time" (1969) Harry J (credited to Herbie Carter)
*"How Can I Trust You" (1970) Studio One/Bamboo
*"Didn't I" (1970) Harry J
*"Feel All Right" (1970) Harry J
*"Salt of the Earth" (1970) Harry J
*"Come On" (1970) Jackpot
*"A Sometime Girl" (1971) Big Shot/Electro
*"Mixing" (1971) Electro
*"Be Wise" (1971) Panther
*"Everybody's Got a Song to Sing" (1976)
Trojan
Trojan or Trojans may refer to:
* Of or from the ancient city of Troy
* Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...
/Horse
*"Jamaica" Afrik (1977)
*"I've Got to Go Back Home" Harry J
*"Baby I Love You" (197?) World Wide/Money Disc
*"Fast Mouth" Gaydisc
*"How Do You Think I Feel?" Gaydisc
*"Rich Man Poor Man" Dynamic
*"Too Much Talking" Bright Star
;Keble Drummond:
*"Dangerous" (1972) Mud/ Pama (b-side of the Phil Pratt All Stars' "Feel Good All Over")
*"Your Pretty Face" (1973) Jackpot
*"Praise Jah" (1976) Mummy
*"Keep on Dancing" Mummy
*"Imagine Now" Starlight
*"The Twinkle is Gone" Harry J (credited to "Eric Fater")
*"If Only Love Could Last"
;Keble Drummond and The Cables:
*"Poor People" High Note
*"What Kind of World" (1977)
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...