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Prince Alla aka
Prince Allah or Ras Allah (b.
Keith Blake, 10 May 1950, Denham
Town, Kingston, Jamaica) is a
roots reggae singer whose career
began in the 1960s, and has
continued with a string of
releases into the 2000s.
Blake's career began in the
vocal group The Leaders with
Milton Henry and Roy Palmer, who
recorded three tracks for
producer Joe Gibbs in the late
1960s. When The Leaders broke
up, Blake continued to work with
Gibbs, who issued his debut solo
release, "Woo Oh Oh". Blake had
been interested in the Rastafari
movement since he had a vision
as a child, and in 1969, Blake's
Rastafarian faith saw him get
heavily involved in Jamaica's
camp community, withdrawing from
the music scene and living in
Prince Emmanuel Edwards' camp at
Bull Bay.
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He
re-entered the music scene in the mid-1970s, releasing a single
"Born a Fighter" for producer Teddy Powell, before working with
Bertram Brown's Freedom Sounds, with a series of recordings, now
under the name Prince Alla, that are now regarded as roots
reggae classics, such as "Sun Is Shining", "Bucket Bottom",
"Lot's Wife", and "Stone". He also recorded for producer Tapper
Zukie, including the album Heaven Is My Roof. Continuing
interest in his work saw the release of two
albums of material from the 1970s on Blood & Fire records, "Only
Love Can Conquer" and "I Can Hear The Children Singing", which
brought his work to a new audience. Alla continued to release
records occasionally through the 1980s and 1990s, including an
album with Jah Shaka. Alla has continued to be in demand with
digital roots producers, and has released several albums with
the likes of Jah Warrior.
Listen to the
music of Prince Alla
Prince Alla Links:
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