THE ETHIOPIANS
SNWMF 2001 - Photo by Lee
Abel
The
Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's most
influential vocal groups during their heyday.
Not only did the duo (completed by Stephen
Taylor) spearhead the transition between ska and
rocksteady, Leonard
Dillon's heavily Rastafarian lyrics also paved
the way for the socially conscious roots reggae
era that was to come. Born in Port Antonio in
1942, Dillon grew up in a Christian family and
discovered music through their church. Having
written some original songs, he moved to
Kingston in 1963; finding the going difficult,
he returned home for a time to regroup, but made
the move back to Kingston permanently in 1964.
Not long after, he met Peter Tosh, who liked his
original material and introduced Dillon to the
rest of the Wailers. The Wailers in turn brought
Dillon to Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One,
where Dillon made his first recordings under the
name Jack Sparrow. Two Sparrow singles, "Ice
Water" and "Suffering on the Land," were both
released in 1965.Around
the same time, Dillon discovered a street-corner
singing duo consisting of Taylor and
singer/guitarist Aston Morris. At first,
he invited them to sing backup for him, then
decided to form a full-fledged group dubbed the
Ethiopians. Together they cut several excellent
singles for Studio One in 1966, including "Free
Man," "Live Good," and the ska/rocksteady-bridging
"Owe Me No Pay Me." Morris, a songwriter in his
own right, elected to leave the group by the end
of 1966, reducing the Ethiopians to a duo.
Meanwhile, Dillon was working a day job in
construction and met another singer there named
Albert Griffiths (who would later found the
Gladiators). Together they convinced their boss
to finance a recording session, and the result
for the Ethiopians was the breakthrough smash
hit "Train to Skaville," which even managed to
scrape the lower reaches of the U.K. Top 40.With
this success under their belt, the Ethiopians
recorded prolifically over the remainder of
1967, cutting hits like "Engine 54," "Train to
Glory," "Stay Loose Mama," and another big smash
in the percussion-driven "The Whip"; all but the
former were recorded for rocksteady producer
Sonia Pottinger, and they also worked a bit with
Lee "Scratch" Perry. 1968 saw the release of
their first LP, Engine 54, and the arrival of a
semiofficial third vocalist, Melvin Reid. Toward
the end of that year, the group teamed with
producer Carl "Sir J.J." Johnson in what would
become their most celebrated association.
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Their first hit for Johnson was the
proto-reggae "Everything Crash," a socially conscious,
rhythmically jerky juggernaut that became arguably the group's
signature tune. Through 1970, Johnson and the Ethiopians
collaborated on numerous other groundbreaking hits,
including "What a Fire," "Gun Man," "Hong Kong Flu," "Woman
Capture Man" (the title track of their third LP), and "The
Selah," all of which helped keep them popular in the U.K. as
well as Jamaica. The restless Dillon
subsequently moved the Ethiopians to a succession of other
labels and producers; over 1969-1971, they recorded popular
material for Harry Robinson ("Fire a Mus Mus Tail"), Lloyd Daley
("Satan Girl"), Derrick Harriott ("Lot's Wife," "No Baptism"),
and Duke Reid ("Good Ambition," "Pirate"). As the group evolved
into a rootsier reggae outfit over the next few years, all the
producer-hopping grew even more frantic over the next several
years, with Vincent Chin, Prince Buster, Joe Gibbs, Bob Andy,
and Rupie Edwards numbering just some of the group's
collaborators. Part of the reason was that Dillon hadn't been
receiving his fair share of past royalties and was forced to
record constantly just to make money. Reid left for good in
1974, by which time Dillon and Taylor had taken day jobs once
again. Sadly, Taylor's day job would turn into tragedy in
September 1975: he was working at a gas station when he was
killed by a van while crossing the street.
Taylor's untimely death effectively spelled the
end of the Ethiopians' golden age. Dillon, understandably
distraught, took a hiatus from music for a time, returning home
to Port Antonio for two years. Eventually, he contacted charter
member Aston Morris and revived the Ethiopians name, cutting the
rootsy, political album Slave Call in 1977 with producer Winston
"Niney" Holness. Dillon toured off and on under the Ethiopians
name afterwards, sometimes with Harold Bishop and Neville
Duncan, and recorded occasionally as a solo act in the '80s and
'90s. Toward the end of the millennium, he formed a new
Ethiopians lineup with female backing vocalists Jennifer Lara
and Merlene Webber, who appeared on the 1999 album Tuffer Than
Stone.
Reggae legend Leonard Dillon was born in Port
Antonio, Jamaica on December 9, 1942. After relocating to
Kingston in 1963, he was befriended by Peter Tosh, who in turn
introduced him to the legendary producer Coxsone Dodd; with Tosh
and his fellow Wailers singing harmony, Dodd cut four of
Dillon's songs — among them the hit "Ice Water" — released in
1965 under the name Jack Sparrow. Soon after he formed the
Ethiopans with Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris, one of the
seminal groups of the Rock Steady era and a major force in
Jamaican music until Taylor's death in 1975. Reeling from the
tragedy, Dillon retreated to Port Antonio for two years, finally
resurfacing to reform the Ethiopans for a session with producer
Niney the Observer later released as Slave Call. He later
recorded as a solo act as well, yielding the 1999 retrospective
On the Road Again. -
Bio Courtesy of All Music Guide
The Ethiopians Links:
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