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.
Too Hot
Prince Buster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too hot, too hot
Now they calling in for the guns
About to spoil the rudeboy funs
The rudeboys never give up their guns
It's too hot, too hot, too hot
Too hot, too hot
Pound for pound, they say they're ruder than you
Too hot, too hot
They are the boss, and no back talk
If mad, then have a coffin you like
And you choose your burial site
Pay for insurance, make up your will
Come out and take them (fight them, fight them)
The soldiers came back to you without them
The police force are afraid, they can't even touch them
Too hot, too hot
Them say "If you think you're bad, why don't you come out yourself?"
These boys fighting for a fight, fight in the night
They don't flight because it's too hot
Too hot, too hot
Too hot, too hot
In Prince Buster's song "Too Hot", the lyrics describe the dangerous and violent nature of the town. The repeated phrase "too hot" refers to the town being too dangerous and intense for anyone to handle. The town's residents are described as being rude boys who refuse to give up their guns and ignore any attempt to tell them what to do. The violent nature of the town is illustrated in lines like “If mad, then have a coffin you like” and “They don't flight because it's too hot”.
The lyrics paint a picture of a town that is controlled by the rude boys, who are described as being the boss with no back talk. The police force is afraid of them and the soldiers who have been sent to deal with them have failed to do so. The town has become a violent and heated environment, hence the repeated refrain "too hot". The song portrays a sense of danger and lawlessness, with the residents of the town appearing to enjoy fighting and confrontation.
Overall, "Too Hot" is a commentary on the violent and dangerous nature of certain communities. It illustrates the difficulties faced by law enforcement in controlling such environments and the way in which those within it revel in their reputation as being tough and unruly.
Line by Line Meaning
Too hot, this town is too hot
The temperature of this town is too high and it's causing some issues.
Too hot, too hot
The temperature is unbearably hot.
Now they calling in for the guns
People are requesting weapons to deal with the situation.
About to spoil the rudeboy funs
The situation is about to ruin the enjoyment of those who consider themselves 'rudeboys.'
The rudeboys never give up their guns
The 'rudeboys,' who see themselves as tough and in control, refuse to relinquish their weapons.
It's too hot, too hot, too hot
The heat is making everything difficult.
No man can tell them what to do
The 'rudeboys' won't take orders from anyone.
Pound for pound, they say they're ruder than you
They claim to be more aggressive than anyone else.
They are the boss, and no back talk
They believe they are in charge and won't listen to any dissenting opinions.
If mad, then have a coffin you like
If someone angers them, they are willing to harm or kill them and choose a coffin for their burial.
And you choose your burial site
They are willing to let someone choose where their final resting place will be after killing them.
Pay for insurance, make up your will
Their actions could result in someone needing to have insurance and a will prepared.
Come out and take them (fight them, fight them)
They challenge others to take them on in a fight.
The soldiers came back to you without them
Even the soldiers tasked with dealing with the situation couldn't succeed in disarming them.
The police force are afraid, they can't even touch them
The police are scared of confronting the 'rudeboys' and are powerless against them.
Them say "If you think you're bad, why don't you come out yourself?"
The 'rudeboys' taunt others to prove they're as bad as they claim to be.
These boys fighting for a fight, fight in the night
The 'rudeboys' are always seeking a fight and often do so at night.
They don't flight because it's too hot
They won't run away from a conflict but might not engage because of the heat.
Too hot, too hot
The heat is still overwhelming.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BYRON O. THOMAS, CHRISTOPHER NOEL DORSEY, DWAYNE CARTER, TAB VIRGIL, TERIUS GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jamie Bulloch
this is in the top 5 of my albums of ALL TIME, earthy, real, rhythmical juice, magic.. RIP PB..
RabbiJazz
Prince Buster was Ska, Bluebeat, even sounded a little Rocksteady at times; everything that would one day be called Reggae. The Prince is the history of Jamaican music.
Delboy Martin
One of my favourites by Prince Buster. Covered by the Specials.
Wendell Scott
I remember his record shop on Orange Street in Kingston. I was just a kid but he just stood out as a good businessman as well as a singer.
Sue Lyons
wow!!! you were blessed! you knew him in Orange Street... aaahhh...
BadMonkeyMW
RIP Rude Boy. The greats live forever through their music.
cconor
Heard that he died, within the first second I broke out in tears
R.I.P. to a legend :'(
James Ellis
Same here.
Mr Dobalina
ridiculously good.
buky 3856
this shit is dope