Bridging the gap between Ska and Reggae, the soulful Rocksteady style dominated the Jamaican music scene for more than a decade. Formed in 1965 by Tony Brevett, Brent Dow and Trevor McNaughton, The Melodians was one of the premiere Rocksteady groups recording with legendary producers Clement “Coxsone Dodd, Arthur “Duke” Reid, and Leslie Kong with later releases on the Channel One and Studio One labels. Their hit “Rivers of Babylon” went on to become one of Jamaica’s most beloved songs.
The Melodians have continued to record quality reggae and rocksteady and tour internationally. On January 28, 2006, Brent Dow died of a heart attack at the age of 59. The Melodians are busy completing an album that they were in the process of recording at the time of his death and have been touring extensively in honor of Brent.
Discography:
Rivers of Babylon (Trojan Records, 1970)
Sweet Sensation (Trojan Records, 1976)
Sweet Sensation: The Original Reggae Hit Sound (Island Records, 1980)
Irie Feelings (Ras records, 1983)
Premeditation (Skynote, 1986)
The Return of the Melodians (TWT Music, 2017)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
