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.
Wings of a dove
Prince Buster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I would fly, fly away, fly away And be at rest
If I had the wings of a dove If I had the wings of a dove
Well, I would fly, fly away, fly away
And be at rest
Oh, since I have no wings, since I have no wings, since I have no wings
I'm gonna sing, sing, sing,
Since I have no wings, since I have no wings, since I have no wings
If I had the wings of a dove
If I had the wings of a dove I would fly, fly away, fly away
And be at rest
Since I have no wings, since I have no wings, since I have no wings
I'm gonna sing, sing, sing
Since I have no wings, since
I have no wings, since I have no wings
I'm gonna sing, sing, sing, sing
If I had the wings of a dove, imagine me
If I had the wings of a dove
Well, I would fly, fly away, fly away
And I would be at rest
The lyrics to Prince Buster’s song “Wings of a Dove” are a testament to the power of music and the desire for freedom. The chorus of the song describes the singer’s longing for wings so that he can fly away and find rest. However, since he does not have the literal wings of a dove, he will use his voice to sing and find solace. Throughout the verses, the lyrics suggest that the singer is in a difficult place in life and feels trapped. He sings of feeling like a bird in a cage and struggling to break free. Despite this, he continues to find hope in the idea of flight and the power of song.
The song is universal in its message, as many people can relate to feeling trapped and longing to escape. It is an anthem of hope and perseverance that encourages listeners to keep pushing through difficult times. The idea of using music as a form of escape is a common theme in many genres, and “Wings of a Dove” is a perfect example of this sentiment.
Overall, the lyrics to “Wings of a Dove” are a powerful reminder of the human spirit’s resilience and the ability of music to soothe and uplift even in the toughest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had the wings of a dove
Expressing a desire to have the freedom to fly away and find rest.
Well, I would fly, fly away, fly away
Describing the act of flying away to escape the struggles and hardships of life.
And be at rest
Finding a sense of peace and tranquility after escaping the troubles of life.
Oh, since I have no wings, since I have no wings, since I have no wings
Acknowledging the lack of physical ability to fly and escape the struggles of life.
I'm gonna sing, sing, sing,
Turning to music as a means of finding comfort and release from the hardships of life.
If I had the wings of a dove
Reiterating the desire to have the freedom to fly away and find rest.
I would fly, fly away, fly away
Continuing to express the desire to escape the struggles of life and find peace.
Since I have no wings, since I have no wings, since I have no wings
Acknowledging once again the inability to physically escape the troubles of life.
I'm gonna sing, sing, sing
Reaffirming the use of music as a means of finding solace and release from hardships.
If I had the wings of a dove, imagine me
Reflecting on the possibilities of what life would be like if one had the ability to fly away and escape struggles.
And I would be at rest
Reiterating the desire to find a sense of peace and tranquility away from the troubles of life.
Contributed by Luke A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Märta H.
I loved this when I was in High School. My Mom brought the 45 home from the Islands. It became a hit at our parties, too.
Karleine Graham
From Psalm 55:7 when you are in deep trouble caused by those you considered friends. King David couldn't fly, neither could Prince Buster. So he sang!
Ingrid Phillip
I just started to sing this song 💕💕💕💕💕
DON DIEGO
It's a fantastic SKA tune from the Prince
Dj Frado Music
My favourite Prince Buster
Ruth Sang
Big chune!
Jeremy Van S
Did Prince Buster write this song? I think he did.
I saw somewhere that it was by Bob Ferguson, but his song is very different:
@
DON DIEGO
as far as I know this song was not written by Prince Buster
Abbie Shubiduba
Top a top ska chune
DON DIEGO
Prince Buster at its best :-)