Misty in Roots are a
British roots reggae band formed in
Southall,
London, in the mid 1970s. Their first album was 1979's ''Live at the Counter Eurovision'', a record full of
Rastafari
Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...
an songs. It was championed by
BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
, helping to bring roots reggae to a white audience. At this early stage, the band was a collective with five lead singers and various musicians, though by the time of the second album proper the band had slimmed down to just three members. Along with
Steel Pulse,
Aswad
Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tur ...
,
Matumbi,
Cimarons
The Cimarons are a British reggae band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band.
History
Jamaican natives, the Cimarons migrated to Britain in 1967 with a lineup consisting of Franklyn Dunn (bass), Carl Lev ...
and
Black Slate, Misty in Roots were one of the most popular British reggae bands of the late 1970s.
Following their debut, Misty in Roots released four studio albums through the 1980s. The band had two BBC Radio 1 "In Concert" appearances in 1983 and 1985. They were invited to play in
Zimbabwe in 1982 in recognition of their support for the independence movement, and were the first reggae band to tour South Africa, Poland, and Russia. After a break from recording in the next decade the band returned with a new mini-album ''Roots Controller'' in 2002. and continue to play concerts .
In 1979 Clarence Baker, a member of the collective, was severely beaten and injured by the
SPG during a protest in Southall against a
National Front march. The punk band
The Ruts, who were partners of and had their debut single released by the People Unite co-operative, honoured him in their song "Jah War" which was released as a single and on their album ''
The Crack
''The Crack'' is the debut album by English punk rock band The Ruts, released in 1979.
The album contains the UK hit singles "Babylon's Burning" (number seven on the UK chart in June 1979) and "Something That I Said" (number 29 in September ...
'' the same year.
In 1989 Misty in Roots played Treworgy Tree Fayre, a free festival in Cornwall.
Album Discography
; Studio and live Albums :
* ''Live at the Counter Eurovision 79'' (1979)
ecorded live in Belgium- (
People Unite
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, ...
)
* ''Misty Over Sweden'' (1979)
wedish release - recorded live in Sweden- (
Nacksving)
* ''Wise and Foolish'' (1981) - (People Unite)
* ''Earth'' (1983) - (People Unite)
* ''Musi-O-Tunya'' (1985) - (People Unite)
* ''Forward'' (1989) - (
Kaz Records
Kaz or KAZ may refer to:
Businesses
* KAZ Minerals, a British copper mining company operating in Kazakhstan
* Kaz Incorporated, an American manufacturer and distributor of health care products
* Kaz Records, part of Castle Communication, incorpor ...
)
* ''The John Peel Sessions'' (1995)
ew tracks plus new versions of previously-released material- (
Strange Fruit
"Strange Fruit" is a song written and composed by Abel Meeropol (under his pseudonym Lewis Allan) and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The lyrics were drawn from a poem by Meeropol published in 1937. The song protests the lynching of Black ...
)
* ''Roots Controller'' (2002)
new tracks plus previously-released material - (
Real World Records
Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. A majority of the works released on Real World Records feature music recorded at ...
,
Virgin)
; Compilations :
* ''Chronicles - The Best of' Misty In Roots'' (1994) - (Kaz Records)
* ''Jah Sees Jah Knows'' (1997)
CD version includes bonus CD of ''Live at the Counter Eurovision '79'' - (
Recall 2cd
Recall may refer to:
* Recall (bugle call), a signal to stop
* Recall (information retrieval), a statistical measure
* ''ReCALL'' (journal), an academic journal about computer-assisted language learning
* Recall (memory)
* ''Recall'' (Overwatch ...
, owned by
Snapper Music)
; Singles & EPs :
* ''Six One Penny'' (1978) - (People Unite)
* ''Oh Wicked Man'' (1978) - (People Unite)
* ''See Them Ah Come'' / ''How Long Jah'' (1979) - (People Unite)
* ''Six One Penny'' / ''Oh Wicked Man'' (1979) - (Nacksving)
* ''Richman'' / ''Salvation'' (1979) - (People Unite)
* ''Zapatta'' (1980) - (People Unite)
* ''Wandering Wanderer'' / ''Cry Out For Peace'' (1981) - (People Unite)
* ''Peace And Love'' / ''Bail Out'' (1981) - (People Unite)
* ''Jah Jah Bless Africa'' (1981) - (People Unite)
* ''Poor And Needy'' / ''Follow Fashion'' (1983) - (People Unite)
* ''Poor And Needy'' / ''Persecution'' (1985) - (
Tonpress)
* ''Own Them Control Them'' (1986) - (People Unite)
* ''Together'' (1988) - (People Unite)
* ''The Midas Touch'' (1989) - (Kaz Records)
References
External links
Biography on Misty in Roots website
* Allmusic biographybr>Singles discography on 45CatInterview on Reggae Vibes
{{Authority control
Musical groups from London
Real World Records artists
Performers of Rastafarian music
English Rastafarians
British reggae musical groups