The Cimarons

The Cimarons
Origin	London, England
Genres	Reggae
Years active	1967 - present
Labels	Trojan Polydor Virgin
Associated acts	Matumbi
Past members
Sonny Binns Franklyn Dunn Locksley Gichie Winston Reid (Reedy) Lloyd 'Jah Bunny' Donaldson Maurice Ellis Carl Levy

The Cimarons were a UK reggae band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band.^[1][2]

History

Jamaican natives, the Cimarons migrated to Britain in 1967 with a lineup consisting of Franklyn Dunn (bass), Carl Levy (keyboards), Locksley Gichie (guitar), and Maurice Ellis (drums); vocalist, Winston Reid joined in London. They were primarily session musicians in Jamaica, and backed many artists, including Jimmy Cliff. Their first LP In Time, on Trojan Records in 1974 featured a rendition of the O'Jays' "Ship Ahoy" which the purists ridiculed as lush and phoney; another track "Utopian Feeling" was labeled unrealistic, and two pop standards: "Over The Rainbow," and "My Blue Heaven" really tarnished their image. Vulcan Records released On The Rock two years later, while more rootsy, it didn't set the charts aflame either. They switched to Polydor Records waxing Live At The Roundhouse in 1978 which displayed the groups' harmonious sound without revealing their introverted stage presence. Polydor released Maka the same year, it's considered their utopia, and for the first time, they produced and wrote everything. Cimarons' next three albums: Freedom Street, Reggaebility, and On The Rock, Part 2 did nothing to improve their status. After the final LP in 1983, they didn't surface again until 1995 when Lagoon Records released People Say, and Reggae Time, both compilations of earlier albums; Culture Press dropped The Best Of The Cimarons in 1999.

Reid and Dunn continue to perform as The Cimarons.

Discography

Singles

• "Funky Fight" (1970) Big Shot
• "Oh Mammy Blue" (1971) Downtown
• "Holy Christmas" (1971) Downtown
• "Struggling Man" (1972) Horse (split 7" with The Prophets)
• "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron" (1973) Mooncrest (as Hotshots) UK #4
• "Talking Blues" (#1 in Jamaica)^[2]
• "Check Out Yourself" Trojan
• "You Can Get It If You Really Want" Trojan
• "Dim The Light" (1976) Trojan
• "Over The Rainbow" Trojan
• "Harder Than The Rock" (1978) Polydor
• "Mother Earth" (1978) Polydor
• "Rock Against Racism"/"Truly" (197?) Polydor
• "Willin'" (197?) Polydor
• "Ready For Love" (1981) Charisma
• "With a Little Luck" (1982) IMP
• "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1982) Safari
• "How Can I Prove Myself To You" (1982)
• "Be My Guest Tonight" (1995)
• "Time Passage" Fontana

The Cimarons also backed several singers on Trojan singles, often credited on the b-side with an instrumental version of the a-side.

Albums

• In Time (1974) Trojan
• On The Rock (1976) Vulcan
• Maka (1978) Polydor
• Live (1978) Polydor
• Freedom Street (1980) Virgin
• Reggaebility (1982) Hallmark
• On De Rock part 2 (1983) Butt (recorded 1976)

• People Say (1991) Lagoon (compilation, recorded 1974-76)
• Reggae Time Lagoon (compilation)
• The Best of The Cimarons (1992) Culture Press (compilation)
• Maroon Land (2001) Rhino (compilation)
• Reggae Best (2004) Culture Press (compilation)
• Reggae Masters Creon

References

1. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0242-9. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Barrow, Steve; Dalton, Peter (1997). Reggae: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-85828-247-0.