Sad news in the reggae world tonight, as one of Jamaican music’s pioneers has passed away. Rest in peace, Alton Ellis, the godfather of rocksteady. According to the BBC:
“Ellis was still performing until August this year, when he collapsed after a concert in central London.
His manager and agent Trish De Rosa described him as “my guiding star and my inspiration”.
“His life was the music and the stage,” she said. “He was getting a tremendous amount of work right up to the end – it was very difficult to get him to slow down.”
The Jamaican authorities are considering giving Ellis a state funeral, Ms De Rosa added.
The prolific singer, who began his career in the 1950s and fronted vocal group The Flames, was diagnosed with cancer in 2007.
Ellis underwent chemotherapy before returning to the stage, but died in London’s Hammersmith hospital on Friday night.
He leaves more than 20 children. “
The size of the family Alton Ellis left behind doesn’t surprise me in the slightest — he was a smooth brother and if his lyrics are anything to be believed, a romantic at heart.
Alton Ellis’ best known hit was probably I’m Still In Love With You, which was covered by Sean Paul and Sasha a few years back.
There are some great Alton Ellis reggae covers to be found in YouTube’s deep crates — his version of Bye Bye Love is sweet, and I love his cover of It’s a Shame.
My favorite of his hits is “I’m Just a Guy.” That’s a sentiment you don’t often hear in music now. Humility, romance, and earnest yearning for love. I hope you find it as refreshing as I do.
Alton Ellis’ tune was reworked into an ode to ganja and Rastafari by Jacob Miller, as “I’m Just a Dread.”
Ellis was known as a dapper dude and a consummate performer, as you can see in this live version of “Girl, I’ve Got a Date.”
It takes a certain kind of skill to pull off a velvet suit. Alton Ellis had it down cold.
Soul Sides and Trojan Records have posted Alton Ellis tributes, and Que Pasa 305 has a great tribute to Studio One, complete with downloadable tracks.
You will be missed, Alton Ellis. And your musical legacy will live on.
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