THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE...

If you're a fan - no, a lover - of Jamaican music in all its different guises, then the news on September the 8th 2016 that one of the most important figures in the birth of Ska had passed away would have stopped you in your tracks. I'm talking of course about Prince Buster. The man born Cecil Bustamente Campbell started out working on the soundsystems that were the dominant entertainment in Jamaica from the late 50's onwards, as a bouncer, ticket collector and more importantly, someone who could find new tunes for his boss, the legendary Clement Coxsone Dodd, to play and get one over on his rivals. Eventually he started his own soundsystem, The Voice Of The People, but decided to record his own music after he was unable to gain entry to the U.S - the music played in those early days was R&B, Jazz, Soul, as homegrown music was not taken seriously - and became one of the key figures in the creation of Ska, recording with Rastafari drummers on The Folkes Brothers "Oh Carolina", and releasing it on his own label. Many people claim to have been the first to create Ska music, taking inspiration from R&B but shifting the emphasis to the off beat, coming up with the genres' name, but it was undoubtedly Buster who helped popularise it. Throughout the early 60's he recorded many singles, including "Madness", "Wash Wash", "Ten Commandments", "Enjoy Yourself", and his Top 20 UK hit "Al Capone", the intro to which was used to thrilling effect by The Specials on their first single "Gangsters". As the tempo slowed and shifted to the new Rocksteady style, he moved effortlessly with it, which yielded such classics as "Rough Rider", "Too Hot", "Judge Dread", "Whine And Grine", and "Earthquake". He faded into the background somewhat as Reggae and Roots music took hold in the 1970's partly due to his Muslim faith clashing with the Rastafari audience that came with it. He was worshipped by the Mods and Skinhead in the 60's, and was one of the main influences on the 2-Tone scene: Madness not only took their name from one of his songs (which was in their set), but also covered "One Step Beyond" to huge success, it becoming their second hit and the title of their debut album. Their first single, "The Prince", was a tribute to the King of Bluebeat. The Beat and The Specials also covered or paid homage to some of his songs, and some of his music would crop up on adverts well into the 1990's. I discovered his music through the 2-Tone connection, with songs appearing on compilations here and there, and eventually i found the legendary Fabulous Greatest Hits album on cd. Most of his music is notoriously hard to find, supposedly due to his insistence on large payments from record labels. He had something of a revival in the 90's, due to the interest in the original Ska music: appearing onstage with Madness at their Madstock reunion concerts, turning up on Jools Hollands' Later show, touring occasionally, and scoring another UK chart hit with a reissue of "Whine And Grine", which saw him on Top Of The Pops for the first time since 1967. His passing at the age of 78 might spur reissues of his music, and it would be a great loss if it doesn't. They'll be skanking in the afterlife. RIP Prince Buster, 24/08/1938 - 08/09/2016.