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
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
Rock Steady
Alton Ellis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better get ready
Come do rock steady, eh
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, everything in time then see
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-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 them shoulders, everything in time then see
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-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
Now 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, everything is fine now see
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-oh-ooh
Everyone, oh dance!
Come do rock steady, eh
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, everything in time then see
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-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 them shoulders, everything in time then see
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-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
Now 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, everything is fine now see
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-oh-ooh
Everyone, oh dance!
The lyrics to Alton Ellis's song 'Rock Steady' describe a new dance that has emerged and encourages everyone to do it. The song starts by saying that if you want to stay in trend, you need to be prepared to do the Rock Steady dance. It compares this to the dance moves of Uncle Freddy, suggesting that Uncle Freddy is an expert in the new dance style.
The lyrics then provide instructions on how to do the dance. The first step is to shake your head and move your body in a steady way, followed by shaking your shoulders in time with the rhythm. The song emphasizes that everything needs to be done in time, and then invites everyone to join in and dance to the beat of the Rock Steady. The song suggests that if you follow these instructions, you will be able to do the Rock Steady dance just like Uncle Freddy and stay in the know about the latest dance trends.
In summary, the lyrics of 'Rock Steady' are a call for everyone to do a new dance style that has recently emerged. They provide instructions for the dance moves and encourage everyone to participate in it to stay in trend.
Line by Line Meaning
Better get ready
Prepare yourself for what is to come
Come do rock steady, eh
Let's dance to the rock steady music together
You got to do this new dance, hope you are ready
Get ready to learn and perform the new dance
You got to do it just like uncle Freddy
Perform the dance exactly like uncle Freddy
If you don't know
If you are not aware of the dance
Just shake your head, rock your bodyline
Move your head and body in sync with the music
Shake your shoulders, everything in time then see
Move your shoulders in rhythm with the music and enjoy the experience
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-oh-ooh
Refrain of the song
You've got to shake your shoulders
The key to the dance is moving your shoulders
Now you're ready
Once you've learned the dance moves
Let's do rock steady, yeah
Let's dance to the rock steady music
Now that you're ready
Now that you are prepared
You got to do it just like uncle Freddy
Perform the dance just like uncle Freddy
Now that you know it
Now that you know the steps
Shake your head, rock your bodyline
Move your head and body in sync with the music
Shake your shoulders, everything is fine now see
Shake your shoulders in rhythm and enjoy the moment
Oh-oh-oh-ooh-oh-ooh
Refrain of the song
Everyone, oh dance!
Invitation to dance to the rock steady music
Lyrics © PUSH MUSIC JAMAICA PUBLISHING, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Alton Neamiah Ellis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Jack Sheridan
Better get ready
Come do rock steady, ooh
You got to do this new dance
Hope you're 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-oooh-oh-ooh
You 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 them shoulders, ev'ry thing in time
Then see
Oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-ooh
You got to shake your shoulders
Now you're ready
Let's do rock steady, yeah
You got to do this new dance
Now 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-oooh-oh-ooh
Ev'ryone, oh dance
Leonardo Matheus
I love the jamaican culture!
An admirer from Belém do Pará in Brazil.
Romain Longo
A découvrir et à redécouvrir et à couvrir . Et a pas ranger sous un tapis . Du blés et des épices pour alton ellis . Ils le mérite vive les vrais artistes .
Beta Ray Bill
All time classic by the King of Rock Steady, Alton Ellis. One of the greatest singers ever to come out of Jamaica. RIEP
eu
Eu sinto uma imensa nostalgia quando rola esse sax e trompete no meio do som
Jack Sheridan
Better get ready
Come do rock steady, ooh
You got to do this new dance
Hope you're 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-oooh-oh-ooh
You 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 them shoulders, ev'ry thing in time
Then see
Oh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-ooh
You got to shake your shoulders
Now you're ready
Let's do rock steady, yeah
You got to do this new dance
Now 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-oooh-oh-ooh
Ev'ryone, oh dance
blackfly29
big Up 4 the lyrics !!!!
Ikong Chin
Yes 1 of my favourite Alton , still I always wondered why we don't remember the FLAMES.
Angella Davy
A
Rock Steady
Yeah man.
Katy Guillén
Super hemosa canción!❤