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.
Wash
Prince Buster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
Wash wash
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
Show me that river
Take me across
And wash all my troubles away
Give me nothing to do
But roll around heaven all day
Wash wash
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
Wash wash
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
Hustle for my woman
Both of my kids
Man I sweat till I'm wrinkled and gray
Life ain't lucky oh son
Give me nothing to do
But roll around heaven all day
So watch out sinners
Wash wash
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
Wash wash
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
Hustle for my woman
Both of my kids
Man I sweat till I'm wrinkled and gray
Life ain't lucky oh son
Give me nothing to do
But roll around heaven all day
So no more worries
Wash wash
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
The lyrics in Prince Buster's song "Wash" express a desire to escape from the struggles and pressures of everyday life. The repetition of the phrase "wash all my troubles away" is a clear indication of this theme. The singer longs to be taken across a river and metaphorically cleansed of their worries, burdens, and responsibilities. They seek a way to live without the constant need to work and hustle, hoping to have nothing to do but "roll around heaven all day."
The lyrics also depict the singer's dedication to their family, and how far they are willing to go to provide for them. The singer says that they work so hard "for my woman both of my kids, man I sweat till I'm wrinkled and gray." Despite their hard work, they still feel trapped by the difficulties of life.
Through these lyrics, Prince Buster conveys a common struggle for many people- a yearning for escape from the struggles of life- while also acknowledging the importance of family and hard work in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Wash wash
The singer implores for a cleansing process to commence. The repetition emphasizes the desire for this to happen.
Wash all my troubles away oh yeah
By invoking the magic word 'wash', the singer believes that all of their troubles will be cleansed and removed from existence.
Show me that river
The singer desires to see a river that has the power of washing all their troubles away.
Take me across
The singer wants to cross the river in order to experience the cleansing effects of its water.
And wash all my troubles away
The singer seeks to completely rid themselves of their troubles through the cleansing process.
Life ain't lucky oh son
In life, the singer hasn't had it easy as they refer to themselves as 'son'.
Give me nothing to do
The singer wants to escape the toils of life and only carry on with enjoyable activities.
But roll around heaven all day
The singer desires a life of leisure and comfort, where they can relax in heaven all day long.
Hustle for my woman
The singer works hard for the sake of their significant other, proving their dedication and love.
Both of my kids
The singer has two children and works hard for their wellbeing and success as well.
Man I sweat till I'm wrinkled and gray
The singer works tirelessly despite the physical toll that it takes on their body, leading them to become wrinkled and old before their time.
So watch out sinners
The singer issues a warning or threat to those who are sinful or in their way.
No more worries
By using the cleansing power of the river, the singer aims to remove all worries from their life.
Lyrics © PRINCE BUSTER MUSIC
Written by: C. Campbell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fletchermusician3365
I always sing wash all my troubles away when
taking a shower! Love this song ✝️🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
@baddriddimworkshop
One of those tunes that can put you back in a good state off mind, whe"n your felling so down....
@talentdatmusic976
Everyday I wake up I give the Lord Thanks for another new day 🌄
And play▶my favorite song
🎶Wash Wash🎶📻🙏🏽😇
@robertrichard2322
Amen!
@handlebrie
It’s my grandpa birthday and this was his favorite song so I’m playing it at his grave site
@femacampcosunselors2425
Like that lucky old Sun may you have nothing to do but roll around heaven all day.
RIP Prince Buster
@BillyJango
I think it's "give me" not 'may you have'..... never mind, We all miss him. X
@nathanblindt
Walt Jabsco especially his family 😭😢
@superk357
“That Lucky Old Sun” is a song by Ray Charles🤓
@MRS543
Good lyric, to manefest away problem, all blockage too, thank you Prince rest in peace.