Born Cecil Bustamente Campbell on Orange Street in Kingston, Jamaica, his middle name was given to him by his family in honour of the Labour activist and first post-Independence Prime Minister William Alexander Clarke Bustamante, in the early 1940s Campbell was sent to live with his grandmother in rural Jamaica where his family's commitment to the Christian faith gave him his earliest musical experiences in the form of church singing as well as private family prayer and hymn meetings. Returning to live at Orange Street while still a young boy; Campbell attended the Central Branch School and St. Anne's School. While at school Campbell performed three or four times a week at the Glass Bucket Club as part of Frankie Lymon's Sing and Dance Troupe; rock 'n' roll themed shows were popular during the 1950s with the Glass Bucket Club establishing a reputation as the premier music venue and social club for Jamaican teenagers at that time. Upon leaving school Campbell found himself drawn to the ranks of followers that supported the sound system of Tom the Great Sebastian. Jamaican sound systems at that time were playing American rhythm 'n' blues and Campbell credits Tom the Great Sebastian with his first introduction to the songs and artists that would later influence his own music: The Clovers' "Middle of the Night", Fats Domino's "Mardi Gras in New Orleans", the Griffin Brothers featuring Margie Day, and Shirley & Lee.
Campbell became more actively involved in the operational side of running a sound system after he was introduced to Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd; a musically-inclined businessman who operated one of Kingston's most popular sound systems. Campbell found himself fulfilling a variety of roles for Coxsone: providing security, handling ticket receipts, identifying and sourcing music as well as working in the essential role of selector. The knowledge he gained about the financial and logistical aspects of staging a sound system dance was put to good use when Campbell made the decision to start his own sound system called 'Voice of the People'. Campbell approached his family and a radio shop owner called Mr Wong for financial backing; both parties agreed. Campbell's 'Voice of the People' sound system was soon operational and within a short time had established itself as a rival to the sound systems of Coxsone and Reid. Campbell applied to the Farm Work Program (guest worker scheme for the US agricultural sector) with the intention of buying music for his sound system but on the day of departure was refused entry into the scheme. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to personally source records from the US Campbell decided to record his own music. He approached Arkland "Drumbago" Parks; a professional drummer at the Baby Grand Club who had arranged and recorded a special (exclusive recording) for the Count Boysie sound system. Drumbago agreed to help and Campbell immediately began rehearsing with the musicians at the Baby Grand Club including the guitarist Jah Jerry who played on Campbell's first recording session.
In 1961 Campbell released his first single "Little Honey/Luke Lane Shuffle" featuring Jah Jerry, Drumbago and Rico Rodriquez recording under the name of Buster's Group. In that same year he produced "Oh Carolina" by the Folkes Brothers which was released on his Wild Bells label. The drumming on the record was provided by members of the Count Ossie Group; nyabinghi drummers from the rastafarian community, Camp David, situated on the Wareika Hill above Kingston. After becoming a hit in Jamaica "Oh Carolina" was licensed to Melodisc; a UK label owned by Emil Shalet. Melodisc released the track on their subsidiary label Blue Beat; the label would go on to become synonymous with 1960s ska releases for the UK market.
Campbell recorded prolifically throughout the 1960s; notable early ska releases include: "Madness" (1963), "Wash Wash" (1963 with Ernest Ranglin on bass), "One Step Beyond" (1964) and "Al Capone" (1964). The documentary This is Ska (1964), hosted by Edward Seaga and filmed at the Sombrero Club, includes Campbell performing his Jamaican hit "Wash Wash". In 1964 Campbell met World Heavyweight Champion boxer Muhammad Ali who invited him to attend a Nation of Islam talk at Mosque 29 in Miami. That year Campbell joined the Nation of Islam and also started to release material on his own imprint label called "Islam". In 1965 he appeared in Millie in Jamaica (a film short about Millie Small's return to Jamaica after the world-wide success of "My Boy Lollipop") which was broadcast on Rediffusion's Friday evening pop show Ready, Steady, Go!. Campbell had a Top Twenty hit in the UK with the track "Al Capone" (#18, February 1967). He toured the UK in spring 1967 appearing at the Marquee club in May and later toured America to promote the RCA Victor LP release The Ten Commandments (From Man To Woman). By the late 1960s Campbell was once again at the forefront of a musical change in Jamaica; the new music would be called rocksteady. Campbell tracks like "Shaking Up Orange Street" (1967) were arranged with the slower more soulful rocksteady template as used by Alton Ellis ("Rock Steady") and many others. The album Judge Dread Rock Steady was released in 1967 and the title track "Judge Dread" with its satirical theme and vocal style proved to be popular to the point of parody. In 1968 the compilation album FABulous was released; opening with the track "Earthquake" (which revisited the theme of Orange Street) and including earlier hits the album has regularly been reissued in the UK.
In 1972 the movie The Harder They Come was released which features Campbell in a cameo role as a DJ.
The UK ska revival at the end of the 1970s that started with the 2-Tone label from Coventry introduced Campbell's music to a new generation of listeners. In 1979 the band Madness released their first single on 2-Tone, a tribute to Campbell called "The Prince". The B-side was a cover of the Campbell song "Madness" from which they took their name. Their second single, released on the Stiff label ("The Prince" would be the only single released by Madness on the 2-Tone label), was a cover of Campbell's "One Step Beyond", which reached the UK Top 10. On their self-titled debut album, The Specials covered "Too Hot" as well as borrowing elements from Campbell's "Judge Dread" (in the song "Stupid Marriage") and "Al Capone" (in the song "Gangsters"). The Specials also included a cover of "Enjoy Yourself" on their second album More Specials. The Beat covered "Rough Rider" and "Whine & Grine" on their album I Just Can't Stop It. Campbell's song "Hard Man Fe Dead" was covered by the U.S. ska band The Toasters on their 1996 album 2 Tone Army.
In 1994 a UK court ruled in favour of John Folkes and Greensleeves after they brought a lawsuit against Campbell and Melodisc (CampbelI by this time had acquired Melodisc) concerning authorship of "Oh Carolina". Campbell had a Top Thirty hit in the UK with the track "Whine and Grine" (#21, April 1998) after the song had been used in an advert for Levi's.
In 2001 Campbell was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government for his contribution to music.
He performed at the 2002 Legends Of Ska festival in Toronto. Other appearances include: Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in 2003; the 2006 Boss Sounds Reggae Festival in Newcastle upon Tyne,[16] the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with the Delroy Williams Junction Band, and the 2007 UK Rhythm Festival.
Madness
Prince Buster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Madness, madness, they call it madness
It's plain to see, that is what they mean to me
Madness, madness I call it gladness
Madness, madness, they call it madness
But if this is madness
Man, I know I'm filled with gladness
And I won't be the one oh, no, no who's gonna suffer
Propaganda ministers
Propaganda ministers
I've got a aim in view
Man, I'm gonna walk all over you
'Cause madness, madness they call it madness
But if this is madness
Man, I know I'm filled with gladness
It's gonna be rougher, rough, it's gonna be tougher, tough
And I won't be the one oh, no, no who's gonna suffer
People you'll see the one who's gonna suffer
And I'll never, never, never be that one who's gonna suffer
The song "Madness" by Jamaican musician Prince Buster, released in 1963, tackles the issue of propaganda and the psychological manipulation and brainwashing of individuals. The songwriter uses the word "madness" to describe the irrational and harmful effects of propaganda on individuals and society as a whole. The song highlights the fact that such propaganda ministers aim to control and manipulate people's thoughts and actions. The lyrics emphasize the negative consequences of this manipulation, and the songwriter expresses gladness in not being affected by it.
The first verse of the song introduces the recurring theme of madness and its meaning. While some may see the effects of propaganda as madness, the songwriter views it as a source of gladness. Prince Buster's lyrics suggest that the propaganda ministers' manipulations have made individuals act irrationally, which might lead to suffering. However, he believes that he won't be the one who'll suffer.
The second verse highlights the propagandists' power and aims. The songwriter asserts that, with a clear aim in view, the propaganda ministers or their agents aim to control individuals through various manipulations. Prince Buster stands up against propaganda and emphasizes that he won't let anyone or anything control him.
In summary, the song 'Madness' by Prince Buster addresses the essential problem of propaganda and its negative effects on individuals and society, highlighting the need to resist it. The song emphasizes the power of the individual and the importance of staying independent and not let the propaganda ministers' manipulations control them.
Line by Line Meaning
Madness, madness, they call it madness
The society labels certain behaviors as madness
Madness, madness, they call it madness
The society labels certain behaviors as madness (repetition for emphasis)
It's plain to see, that is what they mean to me
It is obvious to the singer that the society associates madness with certain behaviors
Madness, madness I call it gladness
The singer does not agree with the society's label and embraces those behaviors as gladness
But if this is madness
The singer questions the validity of society's label for those behaviors
Man, I know I'm filled with gladness
The singer is sure that he is happy with his 'madness'
It's gonna be rougher, rough, it's gonna be tougher, tough
The singer predicts that embracing his 'madness' will come with challenges
And I won't be the one oh, no, no who's gonna suffer
The singer believes he will not be the one to suffer the challenges of his 'madness'
Propaganda ministers
The singer addresses the people in power who propagate society's labels
I've got a aim in view
The singer has a clear goal in mind
Man, I'm gonna walk all over you
The singer is confident that he will achieve his goal
People you'll see the one who's gonna suffer
The singer warns that propagating society's labels will have negative consequences for individuals
And I'll never, never, never be that one who's gonna suffer
The singer believes he will not be negatively affected by society's labels or the challenges that come with embracing his 'madness'
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARECE BENJAMIN RICHARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
aries star
I am 37 years old and I listen to Prince buster everyday. A music legend that will be in people's hearts for generations to come. 10 commandments by prince buster is a music master piece!!
shur
I just learnt that the group Madness from the UK of the 80's took their name from this song and they also have a song by Prince buser called "One step beyond" which I thought was originaly by madnees but it's a cover.
Pedro Monforte
Prince Buster not only was a great musician,King of Ska ,but he has also inspired all the 2 tone movement bands in UK and because of that he should be recognized as one of the great musicians ever. Thanks for everything that you have given to this world.RIP Godfather of Ska.
Paul Burke
His stuff is so much fun to hear. The groove, his sense of humor and the life in these songs is...incredible.
arch stanton
RIP Prince!! Big up to a pioneer in his field!! Man I love ska! God bless you brother you will be missed!!
gintoki
he is a muslim you konw ?
ELVAR MASSON
Was
Deez Nuts
@gintoki and?
DJ Skellington
RIP Prince Buster. Without you, so many bands might not have been born. We owe you so much.
keith saunders
Rest in Peace the Prince of Ska, the world has lost a true legend of Reggae music.