Jamaican Oldies Weekend No. 2: Eric "Monty" Morris and Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison!

Jump Up Records celebrates the beginning of its 20th Anniversary by creating Jamaican Oldies Productions, a partnership with Mayne Stage to bring vintage Jamaican vocalists to Chicago every three months!

Following on the heels of the smash first Jamaican Oldies Weekend (with Pat Kelly and Stranger Cole) in November, comes the second edition with Eric "Monty" Morris backed by the Soul Radics (and Detroit's finest rocksteady crew 1592 opening) on Day One (Friday, March 1st), and Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison backed by The Prizefighters (and Pittsburgh's The Pressure opening) on Day Two (Saturday, March 2nd). Limited discount two-day passes are available here.

Day One (Friday, March 1): Eric "Monty" Morris backed by the Soul Radics with 1592 opening

(From the Jump Up Facebook Event page:) Eric "Monty" Morris is considered to be one of the foundational artists of Jamaican ska, starting as the original vocalist for The Skatalites, later duetting with Derrick Morgan, Roy Panton, Patsy, and Prince Buster, and creating a prolific string of early 60s Jamaican chart hits, including "What A Man Doeth," "Money Can't Buy Life," "Into My Garden," "Enna Bella," "Humpty Dumpty," "Sammy Dead," "Solomon A Gundy," "Strongman Sampson," "Oil In My Lamp," and "Penny Reel."

Morris grew up in Kingston's Trench Town and like many singers of the 50s, he could be found at sound system dances and at talent contests including the famous "Vere Johns' Opportunity Hour." In 1961, he recorded a medley of nursery rhymes as "Humpty Dumpty," providing vocals to Drumbago Parks All-Star Band's shuffling beat. The song proved a phenomenal success and is regarded as pivotal in the progress of Jamaican music, introducing the emphasis on the half beat in comparison to earlier local recordings, which simply mirrored American R and B, creating something rhythmically unique: ska.

At the beginning of the Jamaican music industry, singers received a single fee for their studio performance, thus motivated singers like Morris recorded for anyone and everyone who would pay. He voiced for the best producers, including Prince Buster, Byron Lee, Sonia Pottinger, Vincent Edwards, Duke Reid, and Clancy Eccles, and repeatedly topped the Jamaican charts. But it was his massive Byron Lee hits "Sammy Dead Oh" and "Oil in My Lamp" that got him invited to perform at the 1964 New York World's Fair as part of a three-hour "Ska Spectacular" with an esteemed group of musicians that included Millie Small, Jimmy Cliff, Prince Buster, and Byron Lee and The Dragonaires.

Unfortunately, ska failed to capture the imagination of the American public at the time, and the "Wild West" mentality of the Jamaican music business left him short of the financial rewards gained by some of his peers. Even with late 60s productions by Clancy Eccles and Lee Scratch Perry under his belt, Morris did not survive the transition to rocksteady and reggae very well, retiring from the music business in 1970 when he emigrated to the United States.

Time heals all wounds, and since Morris' legend was still strong in the memories of the US Caribbean community, he was tempted back in 1988 to record for the Washington, DC Kibwe label. In 1999, Morris saw a triumphant return to Jamaica after three decades for the Heineken Star Time oldies concert series. Ten years later, Morris' son teamed up with singer/producer Sadiki to create The Living Legends Collection, his first-ever, full-length album bearing re-cuts of his original hits. In 2003, his song "Enna Bella" was used in the soundtrack of the Jim Jarmusch film "Coffee and Cigarettes," plus his songs appeared on many ska and reggae compilations issued during the 80s and 90s ska revival, including Ska Bonanza, Ska After Ska, More Intensified and the Byron Lee and Dragonaires Dynamite Ska collection.

To call Monty an overlooked name in Jamaican music history is truly an understatement; the man is still to receive the true recognition he is due. Jamaican Oldies Productions are extremely proud to present this living legend in Chicago, backed by the Soul Radics from Tennessee. Detroit rocksteady champs 1592 gets the night started right.

DJ Chuck Wren, Triton Soundsystem, Darren Reggae, and Feel The Rhythm DJs spin your favorite Jamaican oldies--strictly on vinyl. All this plus vendors selling original Jamaican vinyl, hand screened concert posters, Jump Up Records' massive merch table and much more.

Ticket info: Tickets on sale soon via Manye Stage website: www.maynestage.com. Tickets are $25. This is an 18+ show. There will be a limited amount of two-day passes available for $40, so if you know you're coming for the weekend, snatch these up quick!

There will be a pre-party at Delilah's Chicago on Thursday, Feburary 28th. DJ Chuck Wren opens up his regular night (Chicago's longest-running ska/reggae monthly at 18 years) to an all star cast of in town and out of town DJs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am.

Day Two (Saturday, March 2): Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison backed by The Prizefighters with The Pressure opening

(From the Jump Up Facebook Event page:) There were many popular Jamaican duos singing love ballads in early 60s: Stranger and Patsy, Keith and Enid, Alton and Eddie, Derrick and Patsy, Jackie Opel and Doreen Shaffer, and Lord Creator and Norma Fraser, just to name a few. But perhaps the greatest duettist of them all was Roy Panton, who started recording in the late 50s with Stranger Cole and Eric "Monty" Morris, duetted with a young Millie Small, and produced a plethora of ska/rocksteady recordings with Yvonne Harrison that rode high on the Jamaican charts during the early 1960s. These powerful recordings touched the hearts of many and drew much inspiration from the black American duo Shirley and Lee. Focusing mostly on themes of romance, many of these duet recordings acted as a springboard to catapult singers into successful solo careers.

Millie Small was one such atrist, who as a teen sang alongside Roy Panton at Clement Coxson Dodd's Studio One. Roy and Millie had a hit with "We’ll Meet," which stayed at #1 in the Jamaican charts for six weeks. The success of the duo's debut disc spurred Dodd to accelerate their output over the ensuing months, including "Never Say Goodbye," "There'll Come A Day," and "You're The Only One," among their most popular works from this period. Yet while Roy and Millie were fast becoming one of the island's leading acts, financial recompense from their recorded work remained meager, so in early in 1963 the pair switched to Lindon Pottinger's Gay Disc Records spawning the popular "Oh Shirley" and "Marie," the latter becoming one of the biggest-selling Jamaican singles of that summer. That same year Prince Buster produced "I'll Go" b/w "Over And Over" and as the disc climbed the national radio charts the fate of the island's popular duo were being determined elsewhere.

In 1963 Chris Blackwell brought Millie Small back to Britain, and the rest shall we say is history...

After Millie Small's worldwide smash "My Boy Lollipop," a plethora of albums featuring early Roy Panton duets were released seeking to exploit the young singer's sudden popularity: Millie and Blue Beat issued by Melodisc/Blue Beat, Millie and Her Boyfriends on Island/Trojan, and Ska At The Jamaica Playboy Club on Island.

In addition, the Jamaican starlet was the main focus of a 1965 "Ready, Steady, Go" TV special entitled "Millie In Jamaica," a one-hour show that included contributions from Roy Panton alongside Jimmy Cliff, Count Ossie, Prince Buster, Byron Lee, Louis Bennett, and Lord Jellicoe.

Roy kept busy at this time cutting solo singles, but eventually teamed up with a new duet partner by the name of Yvonne Harrison, who was enjoying solo chart success at the time with "The Chase." As Roy and Yvonne, they had their first hit with "Two Roads Before You" and its flip side "Join Together, and they continued recording for several producers throughout the 60s, performed live with Byron Lee and The Dragonaires on the "All Island Tour," were featured on the first televised show in Jamaica at Kingston's Sombrero Club (which became part of the 1964 documentary "This Is Ska"), and recorded with Tommy McCook and The Supersonics.

Jamaican Oldies Productions and Jump Up Records are proud to present the official North American album release for Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison's first ever anthology, Roy Panton and Yvonne  Harris with Friends, a collection of 17 rare studio recordings from 1960-1971. Released by Liquidator Music in Spain, these tracks have been cleaned and remastered for the first time, featuring songs performed both together and solo, including collaborations from Eric "Monty" Morris, Millie Small, Annette, and Glen Adams.

Roy and Yvonne will be backed by The Prizefighters from Minneapolis, who will perform a full set as well. They're welcomed back after doing such an incredible job with Stranger Cole last November!
Opening the night will be The Pressure, crucial vintage Jamaican rocksteady from Pittsburgh, PA.

DJ Chuck Wren, Triton Soundsystem, Darren Reggae, and Feel The Rhythm DJs spin your favorite Jamaican oldies - strictly on vinyl. All this plus vendors selling original Jamaican vinyl, hand screened concert posters, Jump Up Records' massive merch table and much more.

Ticket info: Tickets on sale soon via Manye Stage website: www.maynestage.com. Tickets are $25. This is an 18+ show. There will be a limited amount of two-day passes available for $40, so if you know you're coming for the weekend, snatch these up quick!

There will be a pre-party at Delilah's Chicago on Thursday, Feburary 28th. DJ Chuck Wren opens up his regular night (Chicago's longest-running ska/reggae monthly at 18 years) to an all star cast of in town and out of town DJs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am.

2012: The Year in Ska - Chuck Wren (Jump Up Records/Jamaican Oldies Weekend/Everything Off Beat)

Editor's Note: As the end of the calendar year sneaks up on me--as it always does, since the fall is always so damn busy!--I always scramble around to put together my "best of" lists of the ska singles, albums, reissues, books, etc. that I really enjoyed over the past year and want to highlight for all the ska fans out there. But I also thought it might be interesting to feature some other opinions, so I approached a diverse group of ska musicians, bloggers, DJs, and label heads to find out what their favorite ska things were in 2012. And thus the "2012: The Year in Ska" series was born! Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to participate--I really appreciate it!

Chuck Wren operates the continuously amazing Jump Up Records (celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013!); is the host of the “Everything Off Beat” ska radio show broadcast on Sundays at 9 PM on WLUW-FM 88.7 in Chicago; and is behind the Jamaican Oldies Weekend, which brings 60s Jamaican musicians (backed by current Midwest ska bands) to perform  in Chicago.

2012: The Year in Ska - Chuck Wren (Jump Up Records/Jamaican Oldies Weekend/Everything Off Beat Radio Show)

Top 5 Favorite Ska Releases


I will have to break it up into two categories--non-Jump Up Records first:


1) Magic Touch Shocks of Lightning CD/LP (Grover) – Fantastic 60s ska and rock steady sounds from a German band that originally formed to back Jamaican legends. This second album really sees the band get in the groove!


2) Los Granadians Reggalactico CD/LP (Liquidator) – They dress kinda wacky, like extras from a Austin Powers knock-off, but their skinhead reggae boogaloo soul is wicked funky.


3) Maddie Ruthless with The Forthrights and Friends CD (Ska In The World) – A fine release indeed! Great to have a powerful female voice inna the scene. "Sammy Kay was here." 


4) Babylove and The Van Dangos Let It Come Let It Go CD/LP (Pork Pie/Grover) – This Danish band really amazes me. Everyone should own one of their records, if not all three. Super soulful neo-traditional ska, very 60’s very modern, and the band is so TIGHT.


5) The Caroloregians Fat Is Back CD/LP (Do The Dog/Grover) – 'Nuff said. These Belgian cats can do no wrong. F.U.N.K.Y. reggae and soul.
 

And I can’t say enough about three new bands we were honored to put out on Jump Up Records:


1) The Fundamentals Get Alright CD/LP – We did the wax and Stomp did the CD, which is quite fitting since they hail from Montreal! From the first time I heard this band I was hooked. Soulful harmonies, great female backing vocals, and a band that plays ska/reggae that’s equal parts Jamaican and neo-trad. Something for everyone on this album.


2) Count Kutu and The Balmers 10” – Many people, including the band themselves, were confused why I was so excited about working with this relatively unknown band. From what I saw on YouTube…it was my mission. Super authentic Jamaican rural calypso and mento from the Philippines. They have Jamaican accents, yet they sing in Tagalog. Their instruments are acoustic and include a rhumba box. Released on out 78rpm-looking 10” vinyl series. One of our proudest moments as a label!

3) 
Soul Radics Down to The Hall CD/LP – Hard-working Tennessee band fronted by skinbyrd pinup Dani Radic. A fantastic debut album that delivers ska, sratchy reggae, and rock steady sounds. This album is gigantic!

Top Ska Shows

Jamaican Oldies Weekend in Chicago. Period. Why the hell weren’t you there? You must be a fool! Stranger Cole was magnetic, so full of life! The Prizefighters backed him perfectly, and the Patsy parts were done so authentically by Whitney. The hits were amazing:"Run Joe," "Ruff and Tuff," "Artibella," "When You Call My Name," and "Hey Hey Hey Baby." The night before, an all-star band made up of members from Green Room Rockers, Drop Steady, plus Anthony from The Drastics brought out some of Pat Kelly’s best soul rocksteady gems like "Queen Majesty," "Dark Side of the Street," and "I Wish It Would Rain." We built a Tumblr page linking some of the live footage to guilt all you people that did not go: http://jumpuprecords.tumblr.com/.


Top Ska Merch


Used vinyl. Can’t list that as it's mostly what I buy. The list would be an entire page and then some. Whenever I leave town on "vacations," all I do is hit record shops in small towns and big cities…the wife finally has gotten used to it! Beside that, this year Soul Jazz released two killer Jamaican art books--one for 45 labels and another for reggae album covers. Save up your bucks and get these. Pretty proud of my Lee Scratch Perry bobble head that was released in Japan, designed by Archer Prewitt. Gary Bushell’s "Dance Craze--Rude Boys On The Road!" is a nice read, it’s a “on the scene” account of the first 2 Tone tours. Also been recently collecting vintage sheet music as it looks great framed. My Jimmy Cliff "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" copy is on my wall at home.


Top Ska Regrets


Honestly, nothing comes to mind really. Well, if this counts--I regret that most Chicago ska fans blew off Jamaican Oldies Weekend! We had an excellent turnout, but practically none of the "ska regulars" who go see The Slackers, Aggrolites, Deal’s Gone Bad, etc. came to the shows. I am beginning to think most of those people are not true fans of Jamaican music! It’s not easy to fly in artists from Jamaica, get a venue to invest, have bands practice months and months to learn the music. We put on a top-notch event and most people missed it. Yeah, I am a bit sore. Once again, a bunch of out-of-towners outshine the Chicago "scene." Tisk tisk! The next Jamaican Oldies Weekend is Friday, March 1st and Saturday March 2nd with Eric Monty Morris and Roy Paton and Yvonne Harrison duets. Time to represent!



Top Ska Wishes for 2013


Gotta make my "International Ska All Stars" tour of the USA happen! Tommy Tornado and Mr. T Bone backed by the Moon Invaders/Caroloregians across the USA! I’d settle for Dr. Ring Ding to come back! Would be nice if we can get some more MJARocker cuts and another live performance from The Drastics. Their Halloween gig was AMAZING.





Stranger Cole and Pat Kelly Videos from Jump Up's Jamaican Oldies Weekend #1!

If you couldn't make it to the first amazing Jamaican Oldies Weekend in Chicago a few weekends ago, here are some videos of Stranger Cole backed by The Prizefighters and performing "Crying Every Night"--a soul-reggae cover of The Guess Who's "These Eyes" and Pat Kelly backed by Green Room Rockers and performing The Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain."

For some background on the Jamaican Oldies Weekend, read the recent Duff Guide to Ska interview with Jump Up's Chuck Wren here.



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More Stranger Cole/Prizefighter videos can be watched here and Pat Kelly/GRR videos can be found here.

Duff Interview: Chuck Wren of Jump Up Records on the Jamaican Oldies Weekend Concert Series

Editor's note: Chuck Wren's essential Jump Up Records is celebrating its 20th anniversary year (wow!) with the kick-off of the Jamaican Oldies Weekend, which is coming up on November 16 and 17th and will feature original JA musicians/stars Pat Kelly and Stranger Cole! So, you'd be best served to take our advice: if you are anywhere near Chicago, you have to do anything and everything you can to attend these concerts and experience live music made by some of the greatest Jamaican musicians still around! You can purchase your two-day pass to the Jamaican Oldies Weekend here.

Thanks to Chuck for doing this interview with us--and for keeping the ska faith throughout the good times and bad for the past two decades.

The Duff Guide to Ska: What inspired you to launch the Jamaican Oldies Weekend concert series—and why did you start with Pat Kelly and Stranger Cole?

Chuck Wren: I wanted to really celebrate the 20th anniversary year of Jump Up in style, not just with one showcase, but for an entire year of shows and releases. And also I have been insanely jealous of the amazing shows the Los Angeles scene has been putting together! There are many people like me in the Midwest that live and breathe this music, but are not at a place in our lives where we can fly somewhere to see a concert. So, I pounded the pavement and made an arrangement with the beautiful Mayne Stage here in Chicago. They believed in my vision to duplicate these shows, with Chicago being the mecca for the Midwest vintage Jamaican music fans. I was also very lucky to assemble a team that includes CHema Skandal, Darren Reggae, Edith Vel, and their Feel the Rhythm DJs. We’re all running around town promoting like madmen.

Jamaican Oldies Productions is determined to highlight the careers of Jamaican performers who never quite got the success of a Toots or Cliff, but who have had significant contributions to the history of Jamaican music. I am constantly reminding people that they know songs of Pat Kelly and Stranger Cole, they just forget that they know them! For example, when you tell someone “Artibella” or “Rough and Tough,” people often say, “Wow….that was Stranger Cole?”

DGTS: No judgment here, but why did you decide to go with 60s-era Jamaican artists instead of, say, some of the top ska bands of the 1990s?

CW: I have never been one to take the easy road! Hell, we’re the only label that has stayed active in its 20 years, releasing albums consistently every few months since 1993. We could have easily done that and book 90s acts, but we feel that going back to the roots and celebrating the original music – while these artists are still vibrant and performing – is so much more important.

DGTS: Green Room Rockers are backing Pat Kelly and The Prizefighters are playing with Stranger Cole—is this series also a means to promote and big up local, Midwest ska talent to new/larger crowds?

CW: You nailed it right on the head. These bands have earned their right to play with their idols, and these Jamaican Oldies shows will be the springboard for this to happen.

DGTS: How many people are you hoping to attract over this weekend?

CW: We have modest goals, the club holds 300+ (and is truly a fantastic space!) and we are hoping to pack the place to the gills. We have DJs spinning all night and during the show, plus there will be an afterparty there to keep it going all night. This show is basically a litmus test – it must succeed for me to be able to continue in the future! Do not miss this one, there might not be a next!

DGTS: Which other old school JA artists are you planning to feature in subsequent weekends?

CW: The list is crazy long. Eric Monty Morris, Big Youth, Max Romeo, Roy Ellis, Dennis Alcapone, Dave Barker, Ken Boothe, John Holt, and Derrick Morgan are all in our sights! Then after the solo acts work we can concentrate on vocal trios!

DGTS: The Jamaican Oldies Weekend is part of Jump Up Records 20th anniversary celebration. What other anniversary-related events/releases do you have planned for the coming months?

CW: We will be going back in the catalog and re-releasing some titles on vinyl, with input from our current fans and customers.

New albums from Soul Radics (in two weeks!), Crabs Corporation, King Pepe, and many more! There is an exciting new “mash up” in the works that digs into the classic alternative of the 80s. And there’s a project that’s focusing on 90s Rhythm and Blues and New Jack Swing. After their amazing performance on Halloween night, The Drastics have agreed to perform MJ A Rocker once again! Working on a tour to bring Tommy Tornado, Mr T Bone, and other European Jump Up acts over as one package, probably backed by Eastern Standard Time.

DGTS: Lastly, are there any current or upcoming Jump Up releases that ska fans should be aware of?

CW: Every year I look back at all the stuff we have put out, and I am most proud when we have been able to help new bands get to a new level of exposure. That’s why we started Jump Up in 1993 – we were insanely proud of the Midwest’s caliber of bands and I felt starting Jump Up to release the American Skathic series was the only way to combat the West and East Coast scenes that dominated the press! Looking back, I’d like to say it worked! So with that mindset, we are extremely proud of a couple key titles we released in 2012: The Fundamentals Get Alright! vinyl LP and the Count Kutu and The Balmers 10” LP in our calypso series!

The Fundamentals have that perfect balance of modern third-wave influenced ska, yet still firmly holding on to the traditions of 60s Jamaican ska and American soul. Their interchange between male/female vocals gets me every time. It’s that same type of forward thinking, yet old skool sound that attracted me to Green Room Rockers a few years ago, and also our upcoming Soul Radics release. And what can I say about Count Kutu? Many people thought I was mad (including the band) when I wanted to release a rural mento album from a band from the Philippines – and mostly sung in their native tongue! This band is so authentic that I knew language was not a deal-breaker, in fact it made them unique and exciting. Every time we find a new fan for this band, we sit back and just glow with pride. And we get so much feedback from customers on that release – they can’t believe their ears – they think its Jamaican patois – but it’s Tagalog!

Honestly, we are proud of all our releases. I’ve never stopped doing this because it still excites me, I still have the same insane drive for new music I did years ago. That’s why I am still on the radio, too! The only way this music will survive is if new bands carry on the torch. We need to support these new bands and labels. I don’t understand these so called "fans” that refuse to listen to music after a certain year. They are not keeping the music alive, they are slowly ensuring its eventual death. Not that I will be around then, but I hope my daughter is able to celebrate with pride the Jamaica 100 independence!

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For a taste of what you're in for if you go to the Jamaican Oldies Weekend, check out these two videos I shot of Stranger Cole when he performed at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY in 2011 ("More life!").