Alton Ellis – Mr Soul Of Jamaica
Mr Soul of Jamaica is widely regarded as one of the definitive rocksteady albums, a timeless collection recorded with Tommy McCook and the Supersonics and originally released on Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label in 1974. It stands as a career high point for Alton Ellis, the artist rightly honoured with the title “The Godfather of Rocksteady”.
Born in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica in 1938, Alton Nehemiah Ellis began his professional career in 1959. He rose to prominence through his work with Studio One and Treasure Isle, championing an anti-violence message at a time when the rude boy culture dominated Jamaican music. His 1967 recording “Rock Steady” was the first song to give the emerging genre its name, cementing his place in Jamaican music history.
Ellis’s warm, expressive baritone and impeccable phrasing gave Mr Soul of Jamaica an enduring elegance. Backed by the full force of Tommy McCook and the Supersonics — the house band of Treasure Isle — the album balances soulful vocal performances with the rhythmic sophistication that defined the finest Jamaican recordings of the era.
Ellis relocated to the United Kingdom in 1972 and became a beloved figure in London’s reggae community, operating the All-Tone record shop in South London. He received the Order of Distinction from Jamaica in 2004 and was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2006. He passed away on 10 October 2008 at Hammersmith Hospital, London.
This special pressing on magenta vinyl makes a visually striking addition to any collection of Jamaican music.