The Revolutionaries (sometimes known as "Revolutionaires") was a Jamaican reggae band.

Career

Set up in 1975 as the

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

of the Channel One Studios owned by Joseph Hoo Kim, The Revolutionaries with

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s and Bertram "Ranchie" McLean on

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, created the new " rockers" style that would change the whole Jamaican sound (from roots reggae to rockers, and be imitated in all other productions). Beside Sly, many musicians played in the band: Robbie Shakespeare on

, JoJo Hookim, Bertram McLean, and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan on guitar, Ossie Hibbert, Errol "Tarzan" Nelson, Robbie Lyn or Ansel Collins on

keyboards 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 ...

Uziah "Sticky" Thompson Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson (1 August 1936 – 25 August 2014) was a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active from the late 1950s. He worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums. Biog ...

, Noel "Scully" Simms on percussion, Tommy McCook,

Herman Marquis Herman Marquis is a Jamaican saxophone musician who has played with many reggae artists including Burning Spear. He recorded for Arthur "Duke" Reid in the 1960s and was a member of The Revolutionaries and The Upsetters in the 1970s.Barrow, Steve ...

on saxophone, Bobby Ellis on trumpet and Vin Gordon on trombone. In 1976, The Revolutionaries attained further respect from the Sound System and dub fraternity when they recorded a track named after author

Alex Haley Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and a ...

's character, Kunta Kinte, which would become one of reggae music's most recognisable riddims and which for many years was only played by selected

sound systems In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...

on dubplate. The track ''Kunta Kinte'' was based on an earlier tune, ''Beware Of Your Enemies,'' released from Jamaica's Channel One. The 1976 dub version released by The Revolutionaries became a sound system anthem for many years on dubplate, and also inspired a UK version produced by Mad Professor in 1981. It has also inspired

Drum and Bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

and jungle covers, and was consistently played by Jah Shaka. The band played on numerous dub albums and recorded as a backing band for artists like B.B. Seaton, Carl Malcolm, Black Uhuru, Culture, Prince Alla, Leroy Smart, Gregory Isaacs, John Holt, The Heptones, Mighty Diamonds, I-Roy, Tapper Zukie, Trinity, U Brown, Errol Scorcher,

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

among others.

Discography

The Revolutionaries

* ''Revival Dub Roots Now'' - 1976 - Well Charge * ''Revolutionary Sounds'' - 1976 - Channel One/Well Charge * ''Sounds Vol 2'' - 1979 - Ballistic * ''Vital Dub Well Charged'' - 1976 - Virgin * ''Dread At The Controls'' - 1978 - Hawkeye * ''Dub Expression'' - 1978 - High Note * ''Earthquake Dub'' - 1978 - Joe Gibbs * ''Jonkanoo Dub'' - 1978 - Cha Cha * ''Reaction In Dub'' - 1978 - Cha Cha * ''Sentimental Dub'' - 1978 - Germain * ''Top Ranking Dub'' - 1978 - Rootsman * ''Burning Dub'' - 1979 - Burning Vibrations * ''Dub Out Her Blouse & Skirt'' - 1979 - Germain * ''Dutch Man Dub'' - 1979 - Burning Vibrations * ''Goldmine Dub'' - 1979 - Greensleeves * ''Outlaw Dub'' - 1979 - Trojan * ''Dawn Of Creation'' - Sagittarius * ''Dub Plate Specials At Channel One'' - Jamaican Recordings * ''Green Bay Dub'' - 1979 - Burning Vibrations * ''Medley Dub'' - High Note * ''Phase One Dubwise Vol 1 & 2'' - Sprint * ''Satta Dub Strictly Roots'' - Well Charge * ''Dial M For Murder In Dub Style'' - 1980 - Express * ''I Came, I Saw, I Conquered'' - 1980 - Channel One

Compilations

* ''Channel One - Maxfield Avenue Breakdown - Dub & Instrumentals - 1974-1979'' - Pressure Sounds (2000) * ''Revival - 1973-1976'' - Cha Cha (1982) * ''Roots Man Dub'' - 1979 - GG's * ''Channel One Revisited Dub'' - Top Beat (1995) * ''Macca Rootsman Dub'' - Jamaican Gold (1994) * '' The Rough Guide to Dub'' - World Music Network (2005)

With The Aggrovators

* ''Agrovators Meets The Revolutioners At Channel One Studios'' - 1977 - Third World * ''Rockers Almighty Dub (Dubwise, Rockers, Bass & Drums)'' - 1979 - Clocktower * ''Agrovators Meet Revolutionaries Part II'' - Micron

Others

* ''Kunta Kinte'' - 1976 - Channel One * ''Guerilla Dub'' - 1978 - Burning Sounds * ''The Revolutionaries & We The People Band'' - Revolutionary Dub - 1976 - Trenchtown * ''Bobby Ellis And The Professionals Meet The Revolutionaries'' - Black Unity - 1977 - Third World * ''Derrick Harriott & The Revolutionaries'' - Reggae Chart Busters Seventies Style - 1977 - Crystal * ''Sly & The Revolutionaries'' - Don't Underestimate The Force, The Force Is Within You - 1977 - J&L * ''Sly & The Revolutionaries - Go Deh Wid Riddim'' - 1977 - Crystal * ''Sly & The Revolutionaries With Jah Thomas - Black Ash Dub'' - 1980 - Trojan * ''Errol Scorcher & The Revolutionaries - Rasta Fire (A Channel One Experience)'' - 1978 - Ballistic * ''Ossie Hibbert & The Revolutionaries - Satisfaction In Dub'' - 1978 - Live & Love * ''Pancho Alphonso & The Revolutionaries - Never Get To Zion'' - 1978 - Trojan

References

External links

Roots ArchivesDiscography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Revolutionaries, The 1975 establishments in Jamaica 1980s disestablishments in Jamaica Jamaican reggae musical groups Jamaican backing bands Musical groups established in 1975 Musical groups disestablished in the 1980s Greensleeves Records artists Trojan Records artists