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Artist
The Melodians
12+ albums
reggaerocksteadyskaroots reggaedub
about
The Melodians are a Jamaican rocksteady band, formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston in 1963 by Tony Brevett, Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton. Renford Cogle assisted with writing and arranging material. Trevor McNaughton had the idea of putting a group together and contacted the then 14-year-old Tony Brevett (nephew of The Skatalites bassist, Lloyd Brevett), who had already had success in local talent shows. Brevett recruited his friend Brent Dowe and the group was formed, with Brevett taking on lead vocal duties. Bramwell Brown and Renford Cogle also had short stints in the group in its early days, and Cogle became one of the group's main songwriters. The group recorded some material with Prince Buster before Ken Boothe introduced them to Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label where in 1966 they recorded "Lay It On" (one of the first records to reflect the shift from ska to rocksteady), "Meet Me", "I Should Have Made It Up" and "Let's Join Hands (Together)". Lead vocal duties were now shared between Brevett and Dowe. From 1967 to 1968 they had a number of hits on Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label, including "You Have Caught Me", "Expo 67", "I'll Get Along Without You", and "You Don't Need Me". After recording "Swing and Dine" for record producer Sonia Pottinger, they had further hits with "Little Nut Tree" before recording their biggest hit, "Rivers of Babylon" for Leslie Kong. This song became an anthem of the Rastafarian movement, and was featured on the soundtrack of the
top songs
albums
Rivers of Babylon
Rivers of Babylon: The Best of the Melodians 1967-1973
Super Best
The Harder They Come
Swing and Dine
Legend
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The Harder They Come (Remastered)
Rivers of Babylon (Expanded Version)
Sweet Sensation: The Best of The Melodians
By The Rivers of Babylon: Timeless Hymns of Rastafari
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Ska & Reggae Classics
The Harder They Come (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)