Laurel Aitken
Known as "the Godfather of Ska," Laurel Aitken was Jamaica's first real recording star. He was a pioneer in many other respects as well: he was one of the first artists ever to release a ska record, the first to work at promoting his music in the U.K., and one of the first to record for the seminal Island label, itself a major force in the international popularity of Jamaican music. Cutting his teeth on the sort of jump blues and boogie shuffles popular during the early days of American R&B, Aitken recorded numerous hits for a variety of labels over the years, enjoying his heyday during the '60s. His continued presence in the U.K. made him an elder statesman to the Two Tone ska revival movement of the punk era, and he continued to tour even into the new millennium.
Aitken was born in Cuba on April 22, 1927, and moved to his father's homeland of Jamaica in 1938. At age 15, he won a prominent talent competition with his rendition of "Pennies From Heaven"; around the same time, he also sang as part of a calypso group that performed for tourists arriving on the island from cruise ships. Aitken developed his singing and songwriting chops on a wide variety of material: jump blues (especially those of Louis Jordan and the young Nat King Cole), New Orleans R&B, calypso, and the indigenous Jamaican folk style mento. He became a popular nightclub performer around Kingston, and officially joined the nascent Jamaican recording industry in 1957, when he recorded (and produced) the R&B/calypso spiritual "Roll Jordan Roll." The following year, he began recording for producer Chris Blackwell's fledgling Island label; his double-A-sided "Little Sheila"/"Boogie in My Bones" was the first single ever released on Island, as well as one of the earliest ska records. It was also a massive hit in Jamaica, topping the charts for nearly three months, and went on to become the first Jamaican record ever issued in the U.K.
Aitken scored another hit with 1959's gospel-informed "Judgement Day," an early production by the legendary Duke Reid, and repeated his success with 1960's "Boogie Rock." In the meantime, he recorded for several prominent producers, including Reid, Leslie Kong, and Ken Khouri. In 1960, spurred by the popularity of his records in England, Aitken moved to London, specifically the heavily West Indian area of Brixton. There he began recording for Blue Beat, the first British-based label to cater to Jamaican immigrant tastes. Blue Beat's first single was a reissue of "Boogie Rock," and not long after, "Mary Lee" became the first song Aitken recorded specifically for the label. As a prominent Jamaican who'd chosen to make his home in Brixton, Aitken's popularity among the U.K.'s West Indian immigrants soon exceeded the stardom he'd enjoyed back home.
Aitken cut more than 15 singles for Blue Beat, then temporarily returned to Jamaica in 1963 for a recording binge that often found him backed by the Skatalites. Some tracks, like "Weary Wanderer" and "Zion," were produced by Reid; another, the hit "Bad Minded Woman," was released by Aitken's new U.K. label, Rio. Aitken remained with Rio through 1966, issuing around 20 singles and also recording for several other small labels. Rio went bankrupt, and during the late '60s, Aitken signed a new deal with the Pama family of labels (Nu Beat, Doctor Bird, etc.), partly because the company helped him out with his overdue child support payments. This arrangement resulted in some of his biggest U.K. hits, many of which he penned himself: "Fire in Mi Wire," "Pussy Price" (both early slack numbers), "Landlord and Tenants," "It's Too Late," "Jesse James," "Rise & Fall," "Woppi King," and "Skinhead Train," to name the biggest. This material was among Aitken's most enduring, and broadened his appeal to white audiences (mostly skinheads and mods).
The ascent of Bob Marley and the new Rastafarian emphasis on culturally relevant reggae made Aitken's music seem somewhat outdated in the '70s. He moved to Leicester, well outside of London, and while he performed occasionally, he was effectively retired from recording. However, the Two Tone ska revival of the late '70s made Aitken's style hip all over again, and the English Beat rewrote the lyrics of "Pussy Price" for their own "Ranking Full Stop." Aitken returned to the recording studio and came up with "Rudy Got Married," which became his first ever U.K. chart single in 1981. Aitken resumed his regular U.K. tours during the '80s, and spent a year and a half working with a band called the Potato 5, with whom he recorded on Gaz's Rockin' Records. In 1986, he appeared alongside David Bowie in the mod film Absolute Beginners; additionally, UB40 covered Aitken's single "Guilty" (recorded under the name Tiger) on their hit Labour of Love album, further increasing his visibility. Aitken performed with several third wave ska bands over the '80s and '90s, and although his recording activity dropped off substantially, he continued to tour into the new millennium, even documenting and releasing a performance titled Live at Club Ska, issued in 2004. After six decades of recording and performing, Laurel Aitken's reign as the Godfather of Ska came to an end on July 17, 2005 when at the age of 87 the singer suffered a heart attack and passed way.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
-
Ska With Laurel (Deluxe)
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 1 jan. 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Laurel Aitken: Original Jamaican Reggae & Ska
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 3 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rasta Man Power
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 1 nov. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Everybody Ska! Rudi Got Married: 1980 to 1992
Reggae - Released by Cherry Red Records on 18 okt. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legendary Godfather Of Ska, Vol. 3 (with The Skatalites)
Reggae - Released by Cherry Red Records on 7 jan. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Voodoo Woman: Music for Mods (Soul & Ska Sounds from the Sixties)
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 19 jul. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Skinhead Train: The Complete Singles Collection 1969-1970
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 27 mrt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Story So Far...
Ska en Rocksteady - Released by Grover Records on 7 okt. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Original Albums Collection
Ska en Rocksteady - Released by Pressure Drop on 1 nov. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
En Español
Ska en Rocksteady - Released by Liquidator Music on 1 feb. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Original Cool Jamaican Ska (Deluxe Edition)
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 27 jul. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Godfather Of Ska Anthology
Reggae - Released by Cherry Red Records on 12 okt. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Scandal in a Brixton Market (Deluxe)
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 1 jan. 1969
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Long Hot Summer: The Legendary Godfather Of Ska, Vol. 2, 1963 (with The Skatalites)
Reggae - Released by Cherry Red Records on 31 dec. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The High Priest of Reggae
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 27 jul. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meets Floyd Lloyd & The Potato 5
Laurel Aitken, Floyd Lloyd, The Potato 5
Ska en Rocksteady - Released by Grover Records on 18 sep. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Fantastic Laurel Aitken (Deluxe)
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 1 nov. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ska Splash 2
Laurel Aitken, The House Of Rhythm
Reggae - Released by Cherry Red Records on 1 jan. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Laurel Aitken: Ska Legend
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 15 jul. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
UK Singles, Vol. 3
Reggae - Released by Pressure Drop on 29 sep. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo