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
I Can't Stop Now
Alton Ellis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait a minute before you say another word
Now tell me...
Chorus:
What can you do
To stop a man from trying
I said I wanna know now
To stop a man from trying
I wanna know yes I wanna know now
What can you do
To stop a man from trying
I wanna know said I wanna know now
Nothing you can do
To stop a man from trying
Oh not with that big broad smile
And the sexy dress you wear
It's totally impossible
For a man with eyes not to stare
There is no reason to be so uptight
Now when you got everything alright
By now you should know you're
Every mans' fantasy
Chorus (repeat)
Hey girl check out your style
Brothers going wild It's hard to keep control
When your right there on that throne
So little don't cramp my style
Wave your hands give me a smile
'Cause after all I'm one of your fans
Chorus
In “I Can’t Stop Now,” Alton Ellis is addressing a woman who is trying to stop a man from pursuing her. The song’s opening lines are a plea to wait a minute and not say another word. The chorus repeats the rhetorical question, “What can you do to stop a man from trying?” implying that it is futile to try and stop someone from going after what they want. Ellis alludes to the woman’s beauty and her sexy dress, indicating that it is her attractiveness that is attracting male attention. He tells her there is no need to be uptight, as she has everything under control. The refrain reiterates that there is nothing she can do to prevent a man from trying.
In the second verse, Ellis shifts his focus to men who are admiring the woman. He encourages her to relax and enjoy her appeal instead of getting upset. He acknowledges that the woman is popular and that men are going wild over her looks. He implores her to wave her hands and smile at them, signifying that she should not be bothered by the attention.
“I Can’t Stop Now” celebrates the beauty of women and encourages them to embrace it rather than feeling oppressed by it. Ellis urges women not to be afraid of their power, but to enjoy it and let men admire them. The message is one of resistance to patriarchal attitudes that seek to control women’s behavior and choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Just wait a minute wait a minute
Hold on for a moment, don't act immediately
Wait a minute before you say another word
Pause for a moment and think before responding
Now tell me...
Ask me what you want to know
Chorus: What can you do, To stop a man from trying
What actions can prevent a man from pursuing what he wants
I said I wanna know now
I want to understand immediately
Nothing you can do, To stop a man from trying
No matter what one does, a man will still persist in his pursuit
I wanna know yes I wanna know now
I really want to understand the answer immediately
Oh not with that big broad smile, And the sexy dress you wear
A woman's attractive looks can be too irresistible for a man
It's totally impossible, For a man with eyes not to stare
It is difficult for a man not to be captivated by a woman's beauty
There is no reason to be so uptight, Now when you got everything alright
You shouldn't be worried when you have everything under control
By now you should know you're, Every mans' fantasy
You should know that every man is attracted to you
Hey girl check out your style
Hey girl, look at your unique and eye-catching combination of clothes and accessories
Brothers going wild It's hard to keep control
Men are getting enthusiastic and it's difficult to control them
When your right there on that throne
When you're there at your influential position
So little don't cramp my style
Don't diminish my enthusiasm when I'm around you
Wave your hands give me a smile
Show me your appreciation through your hand gestures and smile
'Cause after all I'm one of your fans
Because ultimately, I am one of your admirers
Chorus (repeat)
Repeating the same lines mentioned above
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: RICHARD DAVID HUGHES, TIMOTHY JAMES RICE-OXLEY, TOM CHAPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bassiehd
Pure classic sound
fllynismydog
great record
Tony Soulman
amazing sound of the trombone,. who's the player?
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Treasure Isle Dub vol. 2
Seanyboy....☘️
JB INTERNATIONAL...🌍🌎🌏👈🏾👈🏻💯
Especial Reggae São Vicente
E tome peedra