Carl Dawkins

An unsung hero of reggae's formative years, Carl Dawkins is a charismatic singer/songwriter, equally comfortable delivering soulful love songs and forensic social commentary. Born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, in 1948, Dawkins grew up in a musical environment, with his father, Joseph, playing drums in a big-band orchestra that entertained tourists on the island’s north coast. Alongside experiencing jazz first-hand in this way, he also idolized American R&B stars of the day from afar, such as Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson. Following a move to Kingston -- first to attend Allman Town Junior School and then Kingston Senior School -- the young singer spent his educational years in the company of Jamaica's aspiring musicians. Among his school friends were Jimmy Riley and Slim Smith, who soon formed the Techniques, as well as Marcia Griffiths and Derrick Morgan. He practiced harmonies with his fellow students and eventually secured an audition with J.J. Johnson, with whom he recorded his successful 1967 rocksteady debut, "Baby I Love You" -- as well as "Hard Times," its popular and prophetic flipside -- backed by Bobby Aitken's Carib Beats. Dawkins was an early supporter of Rastafarian ideals, which would thwart his musical aspirations -- he was arrested and jailed for possession of marijuana. Following his release from jail, he returned to work, primarily with Johnson, but he also recorded singles for Charles Ross, Leslie Kong, and Clancy Eccles. It was a session with Johnson that resulted in "Satisfaction," which was not only one of the best-selling singles of 1970 in Jamaica, but also ultimately became his signature song. Its popular follow-up, "Get Together," was similarly themed. Dawkins' other big single of the year, "This Land," shined a light on the widespread poverty in his homeland and sold extremely well despite getting a government ban. By 1971, Dawkins, briefly known as Ras Carl Dawkins, began recording with Lee Perry, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer. With them he released the moderately successful "Picture on the Wall" and "True Love." The songs, credited to Carl Dawkins & The Wailers, were released through Trojan Records in the U.K. and subsequently appeared on the well-packaged Complete UK Upsetter Singles series. While with Perry, he also recorded cover versions of soul songs such as "Cloud Nine" and "Hard to Handle," the latter of which surfaced on the 1998 compilation Dry Acid. The subsequent phenomenal rise of the Wailers in the '70s and the legendary status of Perry resulted in these recordings becoming collectors' items, changing hands at high prices. Following his work with the nucleus of the Wailers, Dawkins' links with the band continued when he formed the Youth Professionals with Aston "Familyman" Barrett, and this short-lived collaboration produced the uplifting "Walk a Little Prouder." A busy early-'70s recording schedule ensured that Dawkins remained popular in Jamaica, but he found it difficult to break through internationally. A subsequent period spent living in both Canada and the U.K. led to a downturn in recording activity. However, his return came with strong material steeped in authentic social commentary such as the 1975 Geoffrey Chung-produced "Pluggy Brown" and 1976's Lloyd Willis-penned "Dreadful Situation," which found Harry J behind the desk. The latter collaboration led to Dawkins cutting his debut album, 1977's Bumpity Road, at Harry J's Recording Studio on Roosevelt Avenue. By the early '80s, Dawkins' profile had diminished after he stepped away from the music industry and moved to rural Jamaica. Later in the decade, he became one of the instigators of what became Heineken Startime, the celebrated annual revival show. At the 1999 iteration of the event, he performed alongside Dennis Alcapone and Max Romeo, and continued to make sporadic live appearances in subsequent years. An important retrospective album, Mr. Satisfaction 1966-1976 was issued by the French label Patate in 2003, bringing many of Dawkins' classic sides together for the first time. 2013 saw the release of Hard Times, a freshly recorded studio album on which he covered "Lonely Teardrops" in tribute to his idol, Jackie Wilson. That same year, Major Lazer sampled "Satisfaction" on "Jessica" -- a collaboration with Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig from the album, Free the Universe -- introducing its infectious rhythm to a new generation. Dawkins released a steady stream of contemporary recordings from 2022 onwards for labels such as Boot Camp, Rebel One, Heartical and Para Normal Ent. before 2023's Mr. Satisfaction, Vol. 2 delved back into the vaults.
© James Wilkinson & TiVo Staff /TiVo