Born in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Alton Ellis was raised within a musical family and learned to play the piano at a young age. He attended Ebeneezer and Boys' Town schools, where he excelled in both music and sport. While at Boys' Town Ellis performed as a dancer (in a duo) in the first show that a school director called Mr Bailey had organized for Vere Johns who had been invited down to talent scout. He would later compete on Vere Johns' Opportunity Hour. After winning some competitions, he switched to singing, starting his career in 1959 as part of the duo Alton & Eddy with Eddy Parkins.
Ellis and Parkins recorded for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, initially in the R&B style, having a hit in 1960 with "Muriel" (from Dodd's first commercially-oriented recording session at Federal studios), a song Ellis had written while working as a labourer on a building site. This initial success was followed by the release of "My Heaven", which like "Muriel" was a slow R&B ballad with the instrumental triplets and vocal harmonizing common to the ballads of that period. Further releases in the R&B style followed: "Lullabye Angel", "I Know It All", "I'm Never Gonna Cry" and "Yours". The duo also recorded R&B tracks for Vincent Chin's Randy's label including "Let Me Dream". The duo split after Parkins won a major talent contest and moved to the United States. Ellis remained in Kingston, working as a printer and after losing his job, he restarted his music career, initially forming a new duo with John Holt. When Holt joined The Paragons, Ellis formed a new group, The Flames. Ellis continued to work for Dodd and also recorded for his arch-rival, Duke Reid on his Treasure Isle label. At the start of his career Ellis recorded with his younger sister Hortense; early tracks with Hortense like "Don't Gamble With Love" (1965) were still in the R&B style.
By the mid-1960s, ska was moving on and the beat was slowing down to rocksteady and becoming associated with the violent rude boy subculture in Jamaican dancehalls. Many artists made records referring to the rude boys, including Ellis, although his records were consistently anti-rudie, including "Don't Trouble People", "Dance Crasher", and "Cry Tough". Releasing records under the name Alton Ellis and The Flames (the varying line-up of which included his brother Leslie Ellis, David "Baby G" Gordon and Winston Jarrett); the group had hits with "Girl I've Got a Date" and "Cry Tough". The release of "Rock Steady" (1967) backed by Tommy McCook and the Supersonics, the first song to refer to the name of the new genre, heralded the new direction Jamaican popular music was taking. Ellis continued to have hits for Treasure Isle; working with artists such as Lloyd Charmers, Phyllis Dillon and The Heptones. His Mr Soul of Jamaica album (with Tommy McCook and the Supersonics) is regarded as one of the definitive rocksteady albums.
Ellis toured the United Kingdom in the 1967 with Ken Boothe and Studio One session band the Soul Vendors and on his return to Jamaica he worked with Dodd, recording the tracks that would be released as his debut album Alton Ellis Sings Rock & Soul. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ellis recorded for some of Jamaica's top producers including Bunny Lee, Keith Hudson, and Herman Chin Loy. He also began to produce his own records, including "My Time Is The Right Time" (1968) and "The Message". He had two hits with Lloyd Daley in "Deliver Us" (1970) and "Back to Africa" (1971), both released in the UK on the Gas record label, a subsidiary of Pama Records.
Ellis regularly returned to England, working with several London-based producers and after spending a few years in Canada, from 1972 he based himself permanently in the UK. Ellis continued to record and perform regularly, recording in the early 1980s for emerging producers including Henry "Junjo" Lawes, Sugar Minott, and King Jammy. He also opened up the All-Tone record shop in South London, and started a record label of the same name.
Ellis continued to be active on the reggae scene until his health began to deteriorate. His latest works include performing all over Europe with a French backing-band called ASPO (About Some Precioux Oldies) at the beginning of the 21st century. Recorded in Bordeaux, France, Live with Aspo: Workin' on a Groovy Thing is the only live album Alton Ellis ever published (2001).
In 2004, Ellis was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in recognition of his achievements.
In December 2007, he was admitted to hospital in London for treatment of cancer of the lymph glands (Hodgkins disease), but he returned to live performance after receiving chemotherapy.
Ellis died of cancer on 10 October 2008 at Hammersmith Hospital, London. His death prompted a statement from Jamaica's Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia "Babsy" Grange, who said "even as we mourn the great Alton Ellis, we must give thanks for his monumental contribution to the development of Jamaica's popular music". A funeral service and celebration of his life was held on 3 November, attended by family, fans, music industry personnel and government ministers, with tribute performances from stars including Winston "Fix It" Francis, Tinga Stewart, George Nooks, Tony Gregory, Ken Boothe, Judy Mowatt and Carlene Davis.
In 2012 it was announced that the main hall of the new Trench Town Multi-Purpose Building would be named the Alton Ellis Auditorium in his honour.
He was the older brother of the late Hortense Ellis, and the father of more than twenty children including Noel Ellis and Christopher Ellis, who are both reggae singers. He was also the uncle of the Jamaican comedians Owen "Blakka" Ellis and Ian "Ity" Ellis.
Legacy
The "Mad Mad" riddim (the track "Mad Mad" by Alton Ellis and the Sound Dimension band was released in 1968 on the Coxsone label) has been reused or sampled by many hip-hop, dancehall and reggae producers and artists. The recognizable three-note descending horn line was reinterpreted by Henry "Junjo" Lawes, and eventually became known as the "Diseases" reggae riddim. "Diseases" is notably utilized in Yellowman's hit song "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng", which has in turn has been sampled and reinterpreted by a long list of popular hip-hop artists, including KRS-One, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Sublime, and Blackstar. This constant reinterpretation and referencing has made Ellis a major but little-known influence in the trajectory of dancehall, reggae and hip hop.
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Alton Ellis (1938-2008) was a musician best known as the innovator of rocksteady music. He began recording in the late 1950s and continued until his death in 2008, but he reached his period of greatest popularity in the late 1960s.
Ellis was born in Trenchtown, a poor area of Kingston, Jamaica, and learned to play the piano at a young age. In his teens, Alton and Eddie Perkins formed Alton & Eddie, and began recording for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, scoring a hit in 1958 with "Muriel".
Ellis launched his solo career after Perkins left for the United States around 1965. He moved to Treasure Isle and began recording with the back-up trio The Flames. His first hit for Treasure Isle was "Dance Crasher", a plea for peace, and he followed it up with "Get Ready - Rock Steady", perhaps the first rocksteady recording. The song was apparently recorded with keyboardist Jackie Mittoo playing the bass guitar part because the bassist did not show up; Mittoo could not keep up with the ska beat, and the tempo was slowed down to accommodate him. This allowed for a choppier rhythm that led Ellis to expand his vocal range.
Ellis' most well-known song is probably "Girl, I've Got A Date", or "I'm Still In Love With You", a song that has been versioned many times by artists such as Sean Paul, Althea & Donna (As 'Uptown Top Ranking').
In 2006, Ellis was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards (IRAWMA), Hall Of Fame.
http://www.myspace.com/altonellisod
Cry Tough
Alton Ellis Lyrics
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(Cry tough), don't you don't you know you're getting slower
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
for if he's rough he's against the world (he's against the world)
(Cry tough), don't you know you're getting slow
(Cry tough), oh yes you are getting older
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
for if he's rough he's against the world (he's against the world)
(Cry tough), oh yes you are getting older
Cry tough), cause you know you're getting slow
(Cry tough), oh yes you are getting old
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
for if he's rough he's against the world (he's against the world)
(Cry tough), cause you know you're getting slow
(Cry tough), oh yes you are getting old
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
The lyrics of Alton Ellis's song Cry Tough seem to be about the struggles of aging and maintaining toughness in the face of the difficulties that come with life. The repeated phrase "Cry tough" seems to be a call to action, urging the listener to put on a brave face and continue on in the face of adversity.
The lines "don't you know you're getting old" and "don't you don't you know you're getting slower" suggest that the singer is addressing someone who is feeling the effects of aging and may be struggling to keep up. However, the phrase "how can a man be tough tougher than the world" suggests that the singer believes that the world can be a harsh and unforgiving place, and that being tough is necessary to survive.
The final lines of the song repeat the question "how can a man be tough tougher than the world" multiple times, suggesting that the answer is not clear-cut. However, the repetition of the phrase also suggests that the act of attempting to be tough is itself an important part of the struggle.
Overall, Cry Tough invites the listener to contemplate the challenges of aging and the importance of resilience in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
(Cry tough), don't you know you're getting old
Don't give in to your age and weaknesses, keep fighting like you used to.
(Cry tough), don't you don't you know you're getting slower
As time goes by, you may feel like losing your strength and energy, but you must not surrender to that feeling.
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
Being tough means facing the challenges of the world with courage and resilience, no matter how harsh or unbearable they may seem.
for if he's rough he's against the world (he's against the world)
If someone is too stubborn or aggressive, they may end up creating more problems for themselves and alienating others.
(Cry tough), oh yes you are getting older
No matter how much you may deny it, your age and physical limitations will catch up with you eventually.
Cry tough), cause you know you're getting slow
Admit to yourself that you're not as fast or strong as you used to be, but don't let that discourage you from trying your best.
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
It takes a lot of strength and resilience to endure the trials and tribulations of life, but it's not impossible with the right mindset.
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
This line is repeated to emphasize the difficulty of being tough in the face of overwhelming adversity.
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
This line is repeated again to further drive home the message that being tough is a remarkable feat that few people can achieve.
how can a man be tough tougher than the world (tougher than the world)
This line is repeated one more time to emphasize that toughness is not just a physical trait, but also a mental and emotional one.
Writer(s): Che Cowan, Alton Neamiah Ellis, Tommy Cowan, Tyrone Andrew Thompson
Contributed by Savannah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Beta Ray Bill
"How can a man be tough,tougher than the world?" Brilliant stuff from one of the greatest artists of Jamaican music,the late very great Alton Ellis RIP miss you,man;(
Tia Tia
Who is really listening to this music in 2020? Tune!!!πΆπΌβ¨π
djw sam
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Richard Trepsas
How about July 6, 2022?
Kerstin Roth
Love you Alton Ellis , for leaving this music for us. R.i.p. singing with the angels right now and make them dance.
1voyher1
fantastic backing vocals make this deadly so many voices i can't name - big tune
walter Williams
One if my favorite Alton tune .
markvanslam
Been coverin this in my band. Great song.
Tosan Sama
I heard this in the background of a docu about reggae. It took my breath away
Marvin Gayle
Reggae nice music best music haha! What's the name of that documentary you were watching? Thanks