Prince Buster (Cecil Bustamente Campbell, 24 May 1938 - 8 September 2016) w… Read Full Bio ↴Prince Buster (Cecil Bustamente Campbell, 24 May 1938 - 8 September 2016) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary music and created a legacy of work that later reggae and ska artists would draw upon.
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.
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.
Take It Easy
Prince Buster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
Nothing to worry, (no, no, no, no)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to worry, (no, no, no, no)
The road may be rough
But don't you, don't you ever get stuck
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (m'sieur)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (mademoiselle)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Gay Paris, gay Paris, gay Paris
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy
Nothing to worry, (no, no, no, no)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to worry, (no, no, no, no)
The road may be rough
But don't you, don't you ever get stuck
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (m'sieur)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (mademoiselle)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Gay Paris, gay Paris, gay Paris
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy
In "Take It Easy," Prince Buster is recounting his travels to the Champs-Élysées and beyond, describing the smoothness of his journey and the lack of need for worry or hurry. He emphasizes how there is no slipping, sliding, bumping, or boring, and how the road may be rough, but you should never get stuck. He also includes some French phrases such as "ma chérie" and "mademoiselle" to add to the Parisian atmosphere.
Prince Buster encourages the listener to take it easy, implying that there is no need to rush or stress in life. The lyrics convey a carefree attitude and a sense of being at ease. Additionally, the mention of "le Bourget" and "gay Paris" alludes to the glamour and allure of traveling to the City of Light.
The song's upbeat melody and catchy chorus reflect the message of taking it easy and not rushing through life. It's a classic ska tune and a reflection of the 1960s era when ska and reggae music were popular.
Line by Line Meaning
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
Let's take a ride through the Champs-Élysées, the most beautiful avenue in the world.
Nothing to worry, (no, no, no, no)
No need to have any worries, just enjoy the ride.
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
We have no deadline to meet, just take our time.
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
The ride is going to be smooth and enjoyable.
And I walk, right into le Bourget
We'll get to our destination with ease and without any problems.
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Don't worry about anything bad happening, we'll take care of it and make things better.
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
My darling, my darling, my darling.
The road may be rough
But don't you, don't you ever get stuck
Even if we face obstacles, we'll overcome them together.
No need to hurry, (m'sieur)
No need to rush, sir.
No need to hurry, (mademoiselle)
No need to hurry, miss.
Gay Paris, gay Paris, gay Paris
Let's enjoy our stay in the wonderful city of Paris.
Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy
Don't stress out or worry, just take it easy and enjoy the moment.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Adrian Campbell, Lee Francis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@pauldiamond6055
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
Nothing to worry, (no, no, no, no)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to worry, (no, no, no, no)
The road may be rough
But don't you, don't you ever get stuck
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (m'sieur)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (mademoiselle)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Gay Paris, gay Paris, gay Paris
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy
@bigsinger1981
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées,
Nothing to worry, (no, no, no, no)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées,
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore,
And I walk, right into le Bourget,
If you fall on your face,
It's no disgrace,
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris, [paʁi]
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie,
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to worry, (no, no, no, no)
The road may be rough,
But don't you, don't you ever get stuck,
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées,
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie,
No need to hurry, (m'sieur)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées,
No need to hurry, (mademoiselle)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore,
And I walk, right into le Bourget,
If you fall on your face,
It's no disgrace,
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris, [paʁi]
Gay Paris, gay Paris, gay Paris,
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy,
No need to worry, (no, no, no, no)
The road may be rough,
But don't you, don't you ever get stuck, (m'sieur)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées,
No need to worry, (no, no, no, no sir)
@pauldiamond6055
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
Nothing to worry, (no, no, no, no)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to worry, (no, no, no, no)
The road may be rough
But don't you, don't you ever get stuck
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Ma chérie, ma chérie, ma chérie
No need to hurry, (m'sieur)
Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées, Champs-Élysées
No need to hurry, (mademoiselle)
No slipping, no sliding, no bumping, no bore
And I walk, right into le Bourget
If you fall on your face
It's no disgrace
I'll stop my plane at gay Paris
Gay Paris, gay Paris, gay Paris
No need to hurry, (no, no, no, no)
Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy
@jubaljohn6509
Before Bob, before Desmond Dekker, before Jimmy Cliff PRINCE BUSTER WAS THE ORIGINAL DON OF JAMAICAN MUSIC! Rest in peace sweet Prince
@MarkMark-rk4ck
Shit yeah Jubal! The man was gigging at the same time The Beatles and Rolling Stones were! 25 years later a bunch of Brits made millions out of playing his tunes! Hope he managed to put enough aside to look after family and wish them well!
@heavymentalist1851
haa aint that a bitch the white man getting rich off something homeboys made
@loren7c
just discovered this man. so honest and fresh. rip
@methylamphetamine6306
80s ska is dog shit. Is it called 2 tone? Don't listen to it.
@ablakehall4734
While I agree with you, if Buster were here, he'd likely disagree, and pay homage to the thousands of mento and calypso artists that predated him (Lord Fly, Count Lasher, Lord Tanamo, Count Sticky, Lord Messam, Count Owen, Lord Flea, Lord Lebby, Harold Richardson & The Ticklers, Arthur Knibbs, Chin's Calypso Sextet, A. Bedasse, E. F. Williams & Ivan Chin to name a very small few) Unfortunately recording technology wasn't up to par in the early 50's and Kingston hadn't blown up yet so a TON of fantastic artists have become totally obscure and forgotten today.
@kountrybunker1807
oooh my goodness. there you go ....been missing. this here.....
@surimalandre3232
Takes me back to being a skinhead girl sitting with my mates with this blasting... Amazing Prince buster!
@Onlyr888
Rest in Peace Prince Busta, a true giant and foundation member of Jamaica's popular music. Well respected and adored by all serious music lovers globally. Walk good Prince Busta your work will remain with us all our days and beyond.