r.i.p.: alton ellis

12Oct08

Moment of silence, please, for reggae legend and godfather of rocksteady Alton Ellis, who passed away on Friday at the age of 70. Alton was a master, a truly gifted vocalist responsible for some of reggae’s biggest hits. I had the privilege of seeing him live twice, and count both as two of the best shows I’ve ever attended. He was a spirited, lively, engaging performer who seemed genuinely thrilled to be performing his hits — considering the number of times he’d performed them before. Sadly, we don’t have most of Alton’s major hits on eMusic — for that, you should seek out the astonishing collection I’m Still in Love With You on the Heartbeat label. Fortunately the two collections we do have — Soul of Jamaica and Many Moods of Alton Ellis provide ample glipse of the man’s rare talent (in a bind, go for the former comp before the latter).

Other noteworthy Ellis tracks on eMusic:
“Love You For More Reasons Than One” (Maybe my all-time hands-down favorite Alton Ellis track).
“Too Late to Turn Back Now”
“Someday”
“Can I Change My Mind”
“Willow Tree”
“Big Bad Boy” and “Lord Deliver Me”

joe.

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