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 ...
n vocal group. They were one of the top
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 ...
vocal groups active in Jamaica between 1963 and 1973.
History
The group, formed in Kingston, originally consisted of singers Harris "B.B." Seaton, Winston Delano Stewart and Maurice Roberts; Seaton and Stewart had previously been successful as the duo Winston & Bibby.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.19The Gaylads Number Among Jamaica's Unsung Heroes , ''
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 ' ...
'', 12 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014 There would be several line-up changes throughout The Gaylads' ten-year history, with Maurice Roberts remaining the only constant member.
The Gaylads went on hiatus in 1964, with Seaton performing solo on the cabaret circuit, but they reformed in 1966.Happy Times For The Gaylads , ''
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 ' ...
'', 19 April 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015
The group's early successes were with producer
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 ...
at Studio One, and included "Lady in the Red Dress", "Stop Making Love", "You Should Never Do That", and "Don't Say No". Besides recording several hit records, The Gaylads also backed many influential musicians (including Ken Parker,
Ken Boothe
Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...
, and Delroy Wilson) on recordings. In 1968 they moved on to record for
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD ( Durrant; 21 June 1931 – 3 November 2010)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 316 They recorded for
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong (20 December 1933 – 9 August 1971) was an influential Chinese-Jamaican reggae producer.
Career
Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Stre ...
in 1969, including the hit single "There's a Fire". Stewart left the group when he emigrated, and Kong's death dealt them a further blow, but they had further success recording for
Rupie Edwards
Rupert Lloyd Edwards (born 4 July 1945) is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.
Biography
Rupie Edwards was born in Goshen, in Saint Ann Parish.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 103–105 The fam ...
in the early 1970s. Seaton also emigrated, leaving Roberts as the only original member.
Roberts, the lone remaining original member, selected brothers Randell and Hopeton Thaxter to carry on the Gaylads name; the new lineup never matched the success of its predecessor, however, and after releasing the album, ''Love and Understanding'', as the Gayladds, Roberts dropped any reference to the moniker and rechristened the trio the Psalms, landing as backing vocalists for
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. ...
. The founding duo of Seaton and Stewart reformed for the first time in over two decades for an appearance at the 1991 Studio One concert, and two years later Roberts joined them for a performance at the Rocksteady Reunion in Kingston. Seaton, who began his solo career in 1973 with the album ''Thin Line Between Love and Hate'' and enjoyed success throughout the years to follow—subsequently relocated to London to helm his revived Soul Beat imprint.
Some of their hits included one of the first singles encouraging repatriation - "
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
(We Want To Go)," "Joy In The Morning"; "Red Rose," (for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One), "It's Hard To Confess," "Over the Rainbow's End" (for Sonia Pottinger) and "My Jamaican Girl" (for Leslie Kong / Beverley's).
In 2012, the line-up of the Gaylads comprised Seaton and Randall Thaxter.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2012) The Gaylads maintaining a musical presence , ''
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 ...
'', 26 April 2012, retrieved 29 April 2012 By 2016 the group comprised Seaton, Harold Davis, and Dennis Spencer.Campbell, Howard (2016) Write on! - The legacy of BB Seaton , ''
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 ...
'', 26 November 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016
Maurice Roberts died on 14 August 2015 at the age of 70.
Albums
*''Soul Beat'' (1967), Studio One
*''Fire & Rain'' (1970),
Beverley's
Beverley's was a Jamaican record label (1961–1971) owned by the Chinese Jamaican record producer Leslie Kong. Beverley's was essential to the development of ska and rocksteady into reggae. The label launched the careers of Jimmy Cliff ...
*''Understanding'' (1979),
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
/Ballistic
*''Cornell Campbell Meets The Gaylads (with Sly and Robbie)'' (1984),
Culture Press
Culture Press is an independent record label from UK specialized in Jamaican music.
LP Discography
*VSLP5000 - Bob Marley - Interviews
*VSLP5001 - Clint Eastwood - The Best Of Clint Eastwood - 1984
*VSLP5002 - Dillinger - Blackboard Jungle - ...
- split with
Cornell Campbell
Cornel Campbell aka Don Cornel or Don Gorgon (born 23 November 1945 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer, best known for his trademark falsetto voice, and his recordings at Studio One in the late 1960s and his later work with Bunny Lee i ...
As the Psalms
*''Up Front'' (1992), Solomonic
;Compilations:
*''Seal of Approval'', Soul Beat - B.B. Seaton and the Gaylads
*''After Studio One'' (1997), Metro
*''Over the Rainbow's End (Best of The Gaylads) 1968-1971'' (1995),
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 ...