Alton Nehemiah Ellis OD (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008) was a Jamaican… Read Full Bio ↴Alton Nehemiah Ellis OD (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008) was a Jamaican singer and songwriter. One of the innovators of rocksteady who was given the informal title "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2004, Alton Ellis was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in recognition of his achievements. In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.

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.

--------------------------------

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

Get Ready
Alton Ellis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Better get ready, come do rock steady, yeah
You got to do this new dance, hope you are ready
You got to do it, just like Uncle Freddy
If you don't know.

Just shake your head, rock your bodyline
Shake your shoulders, ev'rything in time
Then see, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-ooh

You've got to shake your shoulders!

Better get ready, just to do rock steady, yeah
You got to do this new dance, just like Freddy
You got to do it, just like Uncle Freddy
If you don't know. it

Shake your head, rock your bodyline
Shake your shoulders, ev'rything in time
Then see, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-ooh
You've got to shake your shoulders!

(.)

Now you're ready, let's do rock steady, yeah
You got to do this new dance,, ow that you're ready
You got to do it, just like Uncle Freddy
Now that you know. it

Shake your head, rock your bodyline

Shake your shoulders, ev'rything is fine
Now see, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-ooh

Overall Meaning

In Alton Ellis's song "Get Ready," he encourages his audience to get ready to dance the "rock steady" and he lays out the instructions on how to do so. The song starts with "better get ready, come do rock steady," indicating that it's time to start dancing. Ellis then goes on to describe the dance, highlighting the importance of shaking one’s shoulders, head, and bodyline. He emphasizes the need to do the dance just like Uncle Freddy, and if someone doesn't know how to do it, they shouldn't worry - he provides detailed instructions on how to do it.

The dance described in the song is a physical expression of the music genre rocksteady, which was popular in Jamaica in the late 1960s. It was a slower, more relaxed derivative of ska that emphasized the bassline and introduced a more soulful, R&B-inspired sound. The dance that accompanies it, as described by Ellis, involves a combination of slow movements and subtle but assertive gestures that encourage a deep and intimate connection with the music.

The lyrics of "Get Ready" are straightforward and easy to follow, with Ellis's voice adding to the upbeat and catchy nature of the tune. His instruction to "shake your shoulders, everything in time" is particularly memorable, embodying the effortless cool of rocksteady music and culture. Overall, the song encourages listeners to let loose, relax, and have fun while dancing to rocksteady music.

Line by Line Meaning

Better get ready, come do rock steady, yeah
Be prepared to dance in a steady rhythm

You got to do this new dance, hope you are ready
You need to perform this new dance, and I hope you're prepared

You got to do it, just like Uncle Freddy
Perform the dance the same way Uncle Freddy does it

If you don't know.
If you are not familiar with the dance

Just shake your head, rock your bodyline
Move your head and body according to the rhythm

Shake your shoulders, ev'rything in time
Shake your shoulders in time with the music

Then see, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-ooh
You will feel the rhythm and enjoy the music

Better get ready, just to do rock steady, yeah
Be prepared to dance in a steady rhythm

You got to do this new dance, just like Freddy
Perform the dance in the same way that Freddy does

You got to do it, just like Uncle Freddy
Perform the dance the same way Uncle Freddy does it

If you don't know. it
If you are not familiar with the dance

Shake your head, rock your bodyline
Move your head and body according to the rhythm

Shake your shoulders, ev'rything in time
Shake your shoulders in time with the music

Then see, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-ooh
You will feel the rhythm and enjoy the music

(.)
End of chorus

Now you're ready, let's do rock steady, yeah
Now that you are prepared, let's dance in a steady rhythm

You got to do this new dance,, ow that you're ready
Now that you are ready, you need to perform this new dance

You got to do it, just like Uncle Freddy
Perform the dance the same way Uncle Freddy does it

Now that you know. it
Now that you are familiar with the dance

Shake your head, rock your bodyline
Move your head and body according to the rhythm

Shake your shoulders, ev'rything is fine
Shake your shoulders as everything is now in sync

Now see, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-ooh
You will feel the rhythm and enjoy the music

Contributed by Zoe S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Stephanie Moura

Melhor você se aprontar…
Vem fazer o rock steady
Você tem que fazer essa nova dança
Espero que esteja pronto
Você tem que que dançar igual o tio Freddy
Se tu não sabe
Mexe a cabeça, mexe o tronco
Balança os ombros
Tudo ao mesmo tempo
Então veja

Oh oh oh oh
Você tem que mexer os ombros
Melhor você ficar pronto pra dançar o rock steady
Você tem que dançar essa dança nova igual o Freddy
Você tem que fazer igualzinho o tio Freddy
Se tu não sabe,
Mexe a cabeça, mexe o tronco, mexe os ombros,
Tudo no tempo
Então veja

Você tem que mexer os ombros…
(Continua)
E por aí vai

Fiz meu melhor pra traduzir moça, espero que goste ❤ é mais ou menos isso hehe

All comments from YouTube:

Dee Aygo

2y↑9

👑 Sir Alton Ellis 🙏🏽 The great man himself!🎵🎶

sugerlipsx Jamie wright

3y↑8

Love beautifully made music it pleases me so much ! 😌☝️✌😁

Luis Silva

3y↑4

Maravilhoso!!!!

Sparks

38w↑2

💃🏾💃🏾🇯🇲🇯🇲 we love you Alton.

Eyxla Lorrane

1y↑1

Queria muito a tradução pro português (Brasil)!!!!

Stephanie Moura

Agora que me toquei que vce poderia estar falando da música em si em português hehehe, de qualquer forma, deixar a tradução da letra aí se alguém quiser kkkkk