The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They are best known for their Heart of the Congos
album, recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry.
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THE CONGOS TICKETS
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History
The Congos formed as the duo
"Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947,
Hanover, Jamaica) and
Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947,
Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio with the addition of
Watty Burnett (baritone) (b.early 1950s,
Port Antonio,
Jamaica).
[1] [2] Myton had previously been a member of
The Tartans in the late 1960s (along with
Prince Lincoln Thompson,
Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and
Ras Michael's group, and had recorded with Thompson's
Royal Rasses in the mid-1970s.
[3] [4] He formed the Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, recording the single "At the Feast" for Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Perry expanded the group to a trio with the addition of Burnett, this line-up recording the classic
roots reggae album
Heart of the Congos
in 1977 at Perry's
Black Ark studio.
The album featured illustrious backing singers such as
Gregory Isaacs,
The Meditations, and Barry LLewellyn and Earl Morgan of
The Heptones.
The album has been described as "the most consistently brilliant album of Scratch's entire career".
[5]
Perry's previous productions by
Max Romeo and
Junior Murvin had been huge commercial successes thanks to a deal with
Island Records, but Perry was in dispute with Island at the time the Congos' album was finished, so it was released on his own
Black Ark label, limiting its success overseas, and causing a rift with the group.
The Congos went their own way, organizing a limited pressing of the album themselves. United Kingdom label
Go Feet eventually reissued the album in 1980, and although the group had recorded new material since leaving Perry,
Heart of the Congos
proved a hard act to follow and their other releases suffered as a consequence. Albums such as
Congo Ashanti
were sparser and sounded ordinary compared to Perry's kitchen-sink-and-all massive productions.
Burnett quit the group, soon followed by Johnson, who embarked on a solo career. Myton continued to record as The Congos with various other musicians until the mid-1980s.
In the mid-1990s, The Congos reformed, with Myton and Burnett joined by Lindburgh Lewis, several albums following in subsequent years.
In 2005 Myton recorded
Give Them the Rights
with a host of backup singers and star session players such as
Sly and Robbie and
Earl "Chinna" Smith, very much in the spiritual 70s roots vein.
In 2006, the UK reggae revival label
Blood and Fire released the album
Fisherman Style
featuring a remixed version of the classic cut "Fisherman" from
Heart of the Congos
plus such legends as
Horace Andy,
Big Youth,
Dillinger,
Prince Jazzbo,
Luciano,
Freddie McGregor,
Gregory Isaacs,
Max Romeo,
Mykal Rose,
Dean Fraser,
Sugar Minott, and
U-Roy doing their own new versions over the original rhythm.
[6] [7]
Album discography
- 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
- Live at Maritime Hall: San Francisco
(2000) 2B1
- Lion Treasure
(2001) JDC/M10
- Give Them the Rights
(2005) Young Tree
- Fisherman Style
(2006) Blood and Fire
- Cock Mouth Kill Cock
(2006) Explorer Music also issued as Feast
(2006) Kingston Sounds
- Swinging Bridge
(2006) Mediacom/Nocturne
References
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae
- Open the Gate and Let I Man Free - An interview with Watty Burnett
- Solid Foundation - An Oral History of Reggae
- Reggae: 100 Essential CDs - The Rough Guide
- Reggae: The Rough Guide
- The Congos: Fisherman Style review
- Various Artists: Fisherman Style