Owen Gray – Dancing On the Beach – The Early Years 1960-1962
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Pioneering Jamaican singer Owen Gray was one of the first local artists to get on record in the late 1950s and one of the first to top the local charts when they were introduced back in 1959. He was also the very first Jamaican popular vocalist to release an album comprising R&B and pop rather than the island’s earlier indigenous music mento or calypso.
The album features here in its entirety in this Jasmine collection of early Owen – for the first time on CD, we believe – along with more than a dozen other examples of his work for other notable Jamaican producers of the pre-Ska era, among them Simeon ‘Little Wonder’ Smith, Clement ‘Sir Coxson’ Dodd and Prince Buster, all of them fine examples of how rapidly the Jamaican recording business was evolving in its early years.
Still going strong in 2023, pioneering Jamaican singer Owen Gray was one of the first local artists to get on record in the late 1950s and one of the first to top the local charts when they were introduced back in 1959. He was also the very first Jamaican popular vocalist to release an album comprising R&B and pop rather than the island's earlier indigenous music mento or calypso.
'Owen Gray Sings' was a landmark release in the history of what became reggae and also in the history of Island Records' founder Chris Blackwell, who produced it in the days before Island existed.
The album features here in its entirety in this Jasmine collection of early Owen - for the first time on CD, we believe - along with more than a dozen other examples of his work for other notable Jamaican producers of the pre-Ska era, among them Simeon 'Little Wonder' Smith, Clement 'Sir Coxson' Dodd and Prince Buster, all of them fine examples of how rapidly the Jamaican recording business was evolving in its early years.
Jamaican popular music didn't really have a name in these times, but in the UK it became known as 'Blue Beat' after the record label on which so much of it was released between 1960 and 1967. Here on 'Dancing On The Beach' are many of the very best of Owen's blue beat-era recordings presented, as with all Jasmine CDs, in the highest possible audio quality with expert remastering and copious annotation.
There's plenty more to compile if a second volume is warranted.
Track Listing
1. I FEEL GOOD
2. SOMEONE HELP ME
3. FAR LOVE - Owen Gray and the Caribs
4. THE PLEA - Owen Gray featuring Ernest Ranglin
5. MASH IT (Parts 1 & 2) - Owen Gray and the Caribs
6. LET ME GO FREE
7. IN MY DREAMS
8. PLEASE LET ME GO - Owen Gray and the Caribs
9. I'M GOING BACK
10. JENNY LEE - Owen Gray featuring Ernest Ranglin
11. FAREWELL
12. CUTEST LITTLE WOMAN - Owen Gray with Kenneth Richards and his Band
13. RUNNING AROUND - Owen Gray with Kenneth Richards and his Band
14. SINNERS WEEP - Owen Gray with Hersan and his City Slickers
15. GET DRUNK - Owen Gray with Hersan and his City Slickers
16. ROCKING IN MY FEET - Owen Gray with the Jets
17. NOBODY ELSE - Owen Gray with the Jets
18. MILLIE GIRL - Owen Gray with Buster's Group
19. ON THE BEACH - Owen Gray with the Coxsonairs
20. YOUNG LOVER - Owen Gray with the Coxsonairs
21. LONELY DAYS - Owen Gray with the Sonny Bradshaw Quartet
22. NO GOOD WOMAN - Owen Gray with the Sonny Bradshaw Quartet
23. BEST TWIST (Owen Gray)
24. GRANDMA-GRANDPA - Owen Gray with Hersan and his City Slickers
25. PRETTY GIRL
26. TWISTING MY BABY A.K.A. TWIST SO FINE
27. THEY GOT TO MOVE - Owen Gray with Buster's Group
28. BY THE TREE IN THE MEADOW - Owen Gray with Buster's Group
29. LIZABELLA - Owen Gray with Buster's Group
Additional information
| Weight | 100 g |
|---|---|
| Format | |
| Price Code | |
| UPC Bar Code No | 604988281125 |
| Release Date | |
| Release Date Full | 8 September 2023 |
| Release Date Filter | September 2023 |
