Musician Spotlight: Alton Ellis

Alton Nehemiah Ellis OD was born on 1st September 1938 in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, and died on 10th October 2008 in Hammersmith, London, UK. He was a well respected and highly popular Jamaican singer-songwriter who was dubbed the ‘Godfather of Rocksteady’ for his huge influence on the genre.

As a young boy, Ellis won a number of singing competitions which galvanized him into action, and in 1959, he joined forces with Eddy Parkins to form the duo Alton and Eddy. In 1960, having recorded at Studio One for Coxsone Dodd, the duo’s rhythm and blues hit ‘Muriel’ was released. Ellis had written the song while also working on a building site, and its success meant that he chose to give up being a laborer and dedicate himself to music instead. The next release was ‘My Heaven’ which again was a rhythm and blues style song rather than the reggae Ellis would go on to be known for. Despite many more singles in the same style being released, and finding a good level of popularity, the pair split since Eddy Parkins won a talent contest that enabled him to move to America to pursue his musical career.

Ellis, with no one to make music with, took a job as a printer, but he wasn’t happy. When he lost that job, he dived back into music when he formed a duo with John Holt. This was short-lived, leading Ellis to form a band called Alton Ellis and The Flames. By this time it was the mid-1960s, and ska music was making definite waves across the world, and Ellis quickly saw that this was the case. Interested in ska and reggae, but with a definite preference for lovers rock rather than the political nature of traditional reggae, Ellis decided to change direction. When he released Mr Soul of Jamaica with Tommy McCook and the Supersonics, it seemed he had truly found his place in the musical world, and the legend of Alton Ellis could finally begin to take shape.

Here is Alton Ellis performing one of his hits “You Make Me Happy”:

In 1967, Ellis went to the UK to tour, and although he did return to Jamaica, writing and releasing a number of albums when he did including Alton Ellis Sings Rock and Roll (his first solo album), in 1972 Ellis moved permanently to London. This move was nothing to do with his musical career, however; he simply found that he enjoyed the city and wanted to base himself there. In fact, if anything, Ellis’ output increased, and he continued to be an active and lauded part of the reggae music scene until his death in 2008. During his time in London, he also opened the All-Tone record shop and, eventually, began a record label using the same name.

While Alton didn’t play the classical guitar, he did know how to play the piano from a young age.

2004 saw Ellis awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction for his achievements in music and he was inducted into the International Reggae and World Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2006.

Alton Ellis, father of more than 20 children and Godfather of Rocksteady, died of cancer on 10th October 2008 in Hammersmith, London.