- Leroy Sibbles
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Leroy Sibbles
Img_capt = Leroy Sibbles performing at the Irie Music Festival in Toronto, Ontario, 2006
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Born = birth date and age|1949|1|29
Origin =Jamaica
Instrument = Vocals,bass guitar
Genre =Reggae
Occupation =Singer-songwriter ,musician
Years_active = 1960s–present
Label = Studio One, Heartbeat, Trojan, Island, A&M, Micron
Associated_acts =The Heptones
URL = [http://www.leroysibbles.com/ www.leroysibbles.com]Leroy Sibbles (born
January 29 ,1949 ) is areggae musician fromJamaica . He was the lead singer forThe Heptones in the 1960s and 1970s.In addition to his work with The Heptones, Sibbles was a session bassist and arranger at Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd's Jamaica Recording and Publishing Studio and the associated Studio One label during the prolific late 1960s.
The Heptones
Sibbles and Heptones' co-founders Barry Llewellyn and Earl Morgan met in the mid 1960s, around the time Sibbles' first group auditioned for
Duke Reid 'sTreasure Isle studio. Reid declined the opportunity to record that group. Llewellyn and Morgan recruited Sibbles and formed the Heptones, andKen Lack of Caltone accepted the trio for a session.The trio's initial recordings for Ken Lack were "School Girls" and "Gun Man Coming to Town." Though the songs didn't achieve hit status, the latter composition made the playlists at Radio Jamaica Rediffusion (RJR).
The Heptones were among the most influential groups of the rock steady era, along with
The Pioneers ,The Gaylads ,The Paragons , The Uniques, andThe Techniques . Signature Heptones songs included "Baby", "Get in the Groove", "Ting a Ling", "Fattie Fattie", "Got to Fight On (To the Top)", "Party Time", and "Sweet Talking". The group's Studio One output has been collected on albums "The Heptones", "On Top", "Ting a Ling", "Freedom Line", and theHeartbeat Records anthology, "Sea of Love".tudio One
Beyond his work as a singer-songwriter, Sibbles contributed to the collective output of Studio One as a bass player during the late 1960s. Keyboardist and arranger
Jackie Mittoo encouraged Sibbles to play the bass.When Mittoo left full time duties at Studio One, Sibbles arranged sessions, sang harmony, and played bass as a part of the studio group variously known as the
Sound Dimension . These musicians, with engineering supervision Sylvan Morris, played backing tracks used by vocalistsBob Andy ,Alton Ellis ,Horace Andy , Carlton Manning,The Abyssinians ,The Gladiators ,Willi Williams ,Ken Boothe , John Holt,Burning Spear ,Dennis Brown ,Slim Smith , and scores of others.Sibbles was a contributor to tracks including "Freedom Blues" by Roy Richards, "Love Me Forever" by Carlton & The Shoes, "Satta Massa Ganna" and "Declaration of Rights" by the Abyssinians, "Stars" and "Queen of the Minstrels" by
Cornell Campbell , "Ten to One" by the Mad Lads, "Door Peep (Shall Not Enter)" by Burning Spear, and the instrumental "Full Up".Because of the Jamaican process of versioning and the liberal recycling of rhythms in subsequent years, many of the songs, rhythms, and melodies written and recorded during the rocksteady era, the aforementioned in particular, continue to be referenced today. The most frequently referenced of Sibbles' bass lines is that found on the instrumental "Full Up", popularized internationally by
Musical Youth 's recording of "Pass the Dutchie", an adaptation ofThe Mighty Diamonds ' "Pass the Kutchie". Sibbles' legacy also endures in Horace Andy's tribute to him, "Mr. Bassie". (While Sibbles has been credited with the original "Real Rock" bassline, this was more likely performed byBoris Gardiner ). The bass parts Sibbles and others developed inrocksteady utilized a rhythmic space found in laterroots reggae , where the notes were not necessarily played or sustained on each downbeat of a 4/4 measure. Sibbles has explained that his style was to lag the downbeat slightly.Other musicians involved in the Studio One rock steady sessions included Richard Ace and Robbie Lyn on keyboards; Bunny Williams, Joe Isaacs, and Fil Callendar on drums; Eric Frater and
Ernest Ranglin on guitar; and the horn section of Felix "Deadly Headley" Bennett on saxophone and Vin Gordon (a.k.a. "Don D. Jr.") on trombone.Work with other producers
After Studio One, Sibbles and the Heptones recorded for other producers including
Lee Perry ,Harry J , JoJo Hoo Kim,Niney The Observer ,Clive Chin ,Gussie Clarke ,Lloyd Campbell ,Prince Buster ,Ossie Hibbert ,Phil Pratt ,Harry Mudie , Geoffrey Chung, Danny Holloway,Rupie Edwards , andJoe Gibbs .Other Heptones releases from the early 1970s were "Book of Rules" (
Trojan Records ) and the Harry Johnson-produced album "Cool Rasta" (Trojan), recorded just before the group benefited from the internationalization of reggae viaIsland Records . The Danny Holloway-produced "Night Food" and Lee "Scratch" Perry-produced "Party Time" were the fruit of the association with Island. Sibbles left the Heptones from 1977 to 1995. In 1995, the group reunited with its original line-up.As a solo artist, Sibbles worked with Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes,
Lloyd Parks ,Sly & Robbie ,Augustus Pablo ,Bruce Cockburn , and Lee Perry, but primarily produced himself. Sibbles moved toCanada in 1973. In Canada, he won a U-Know Award for best male vocalist in 1983, and a 1987 Juno Award for best reggae album.. Also in Canada, he recorded an album for A&M and licensed several albums toPete Weston 's Micron label, including "Now" and "Strictly Roots".External links
* [http://www.leroysibbles.com/ Leroy Sibbles] official website
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.