The Congos
The Congos are a reggae group from Jamaica, which is irregularly active since the mid-1970s to the present day. The greatest notoriety they gained their album Heart of the Congos, they recorded with Lee " Scratch" Perry.
History
The Congos were founded as a trio: " Ashanti " Roy Johnson ( tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover ), Cedric Myton ( falsetto ) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine), Watty Burnett (baritone ) (born in the early 1950, Port Antonio). Myton had previously ( in the late 1960s ), a member of The Tartans (along with Prince Lincoln Thompson, Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and the group of Ras Michael. In addition, he had made with Thompsons Royal Rasses mid-1970s recordings. He founded The Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, which began the single " At the Feast" for Lee " Scratch" Perry. Perry expanded the group with Burnett to a trio, the classic roots reggae album Heart of the Congos recorded in Perry's Black Ark studio in 1977. In the album illustrious background singers came before, such as Gregory Isaacs, The Meditations, and Barry Llewellyn and Earl Morgan from The Heptones. The album was described as " the most consistently brilliant album in Scratch's entire career".
Perry's previous productions by Max Romeo and Junior Murvin, thanks to a deal with Iceland Records major commercial successes have become. Perry, however, had at the time in which the Congos album was finished disputes with Iceland, which is why it was released on his own Black Ark label, which limited the success overseas and caused a break with the group. The Congos went their own ways and organized even a limited pressing of the album. The British label Go Feet Records released the album finally out again in 1980 although the group hatte.Heart recorded new material since the break with Perry of the Congos turned out to be hard to beat out their other releases and thus were less successful. Albums such as Congo Ashanti were sparse and usually sounded in comparison to Perry's massive productions.
Burnett left the group soon followed by Johnson, who began a solo career. Myton took with various other musicians until the mid- 1980s further than " The Congos ".
Mid-1990 to The Congos -formed again, with Myton and Burnett, accompanied by Lindburgh Lewis. Several albums followed in the subsequent years. 2005 Myton Give Them the Rights took on - with a lot of contributing singers and renowned musicians such as Sly and Robbie and Earl " Chinna " Smith and very much in the style of the spiritual 70s roots. The British reggae revival label Blood and Fire in 2006 published the album Fisherman Style, which includes a remixed version of the classic " Fisherman " from Heart of the Congos, and new versions on the original rhythm played by legends such as Horace Andy, Big Youth, Dillinger, Prince Jazzbo, Luciano, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs, Max Romeo, Mykal Rose, Dean Fraser, Sugar Minott and U-Roy.
Discography ( albums)
- Heart of the Congos (1977 ) Black Ark
- Congo Ashanti (1979 ) Congo Ashanty / CBS
- Image of Africa (1979 ) Congo Ashanty / Epic / CBS
- Face The Music (1981 ) Go Feet
- Best Of Congos vol. 1 (1983 ) Tafari
- Natty Dread Rise Again ( 1997) RAS
- Revival ( 1998) VP
- Lion Treasure (2001) JDC/M10
- Give Them the Rights (2005) Young Tree
- Fisherman style (2006) Blood and Fire
- Edited Cock Mouth Kill Cock ( 2006) Music Explorer, also known as Feast ( 2006) Kingston Sounds
- Swinging Bridge (2006) Mediacom / Nocturne
- Heart Of The Congos (2008) VP ( re-issue )