Dalton Sinclair Bishop (27 August 1937 – 9 March 1970), better known as Jackie Opel, was a Barbadian singer who possessed a rich, powerful voice with a high octave range. He was known as the "

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

of Barbadian culture" and was also a gifted dancer. Bishop was born in

Bridgetown Bridgetown ( UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The ...

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...

. In the early 1960s, he was discovered by

Byron Lee Byron Lee ,
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008. born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee ...

, the band master of the Dragonaires, who brought him to Jamaica. His styles included ska, R&B, soul, gospel and calypso. He is credited with inventing

spouge Spouge is a style of Barbadian popular music created by Jackie Opel in the 1960s. It is primarily a fusion of Jamaican ska with Trinidadian calypso, but is also influenced by a wide variety of musics from the British Isles and United States, inc ...

music, a fusion of ska, calypso, and R&B music. Opel performed duos with Doreen Schaffer and Hortense Ellis, and in 1964 was backed by

Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Rober ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements ...

and

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963 ...

on "Mill Man", "Hairy Mango" and "A Time to Cry". Opel eventually moved to Trinidad and then subsequently returned home to Barbados. On March 9th 1970 , 85 days before

Alison Hinds Alison Amanda Hinds (born 1 June 1970) is a British-born Bajan soca artist based in Barbados. She is one of the most popular soca singers in the world. Biography Alison Hinds was born in London on 1 June 1970 and grew up in Plaistow.Batey, A ...

's birth in England, he died in a car crash on Lower Bay Street,

Jackie Opel Amphitheatre plaque, Cheapside

Discography (selected)

United States

* You Gotta Cry / Shelter The Storm ~ MGM K13391 (1965) Note: ‘You Gotta Cry’ is actually in fact ‘Cry Me A River’ renamed to avoid confusion with the Julie London standard.

United Kingdom

* TV in Jamaica / Worrell's Captaincy ~ Jump Up 512 (1963) * You're No Good / King Liges ~ Black Swan 421 (1964) * Stand by Me (with Hortense Ellis) / Solid Rock ~ R & B 138 (1964) * Pity The Fool / The Day Will Come ~ R & B 160 (1964) * Cry Me A River / Eternal Love ~ King 1011 (1964) * Wipe Those Tears / Don't Take Your Love ~ Island 203 (1965) * Go Whey / Shelter In The Storm ~ Island 209 (1965) * Old Rocking Chair / Ska In Vienna Woods (by Skatalites) ~ Island 229 (1965) * Done With A Friend / More Wood In The Fire ~ Ska Beat 190 (1965) * The Lord Is with Thee / A Little More ~ Ska Beat 227 (1965) * Welcome Home / You & I (with Doreen Schaeffer) ~ Ska Beat 208 (1965) * Adorable You / New Vow (with Doreen Schaeffer) ~ Ska Beat 209 (1965) * A Love To Share / Devoted To You ~ Island 264 (1966) * I Am What I am / Devil's Bug ~ Rio 117 (1966) * I Don't Want Her / Rudie Get Wise ~ Rio 120 (1967) * Valley of Green / Hungry Man (by The Deacons) ~ Top Deck 101 (1990?)

Compact disc

* "The Best Of Jackie Opel" (Studio One) * "Cry Me A River" (Studio One) * "A Love To Share: Top Sounds From Top Deck, Vol. 2" (Westside) Split release with Ferdie Nelson * "The Memorable Jackie Opel" (Select-O-Hits) Spouge recordings

Compilations

* ''The Vow (with Doreen Schaffer) & Old Rocking Chair'' from "Foundation Ska" (Heartbeat) * ''Push Wood & Sit Down Servant'' from "Ska Bonanza: The Studio One Years" (Heartbeat) Later reissued as "Go Ska Go" (Heartbeat) * ''You Send Me'' from "Gaz Mayall Top! Ska Tunes" (Trojan) * ''Push Wood'' from "It's Ska Time: 20 original Ska Classics" (Charly) * ''The Mill Man & A Time To Cry'' (both backed by The Wailers) from "Wailers & Friends: Top Hits Sung By The Legends of Jamaican Ska" (Heartbeat) * ''I Am What I Am, Done With A Friend & The Lord Is With Me'' from "I Am Going Home: 25 Classic Ska Shots" (bootleg) * ''Pictures Of Smoke'' from "Ska-ntastic: Vintage Jamaican Ska 1963-66" (Richmond) * ''You're Too Bad'' from "Studio One Rude Boy" (Soul Jazz) * ''I Love Jamaica'' from "Trojan Jamaica Box Set" (Trojan) * ''Tears From My Eyes'' from "Ska Non Stop: Top Sounds From Top Deck, Vol. 8" (Westside) * ''Turn To The Almighty (Take 1), Turn To The Almighty (Take 2) & Sometimes I Wonder'' from "Ska Down Jamaica Way: Ska Boo Da Ba, Vol. 2" (WSM)

Legacy

* An amphitheatre at the centre of the Barbados General Post Office was commemorated in Opel's name.

External links

The Jackie Opel Story
by Greg Burgess {{DEFAULTSORT:Opel, Jackie 1938 births 1970 deaths Barbadian male singers People from Bridgetown The Skatalites members 20th-century male singers