B.B. Seaton

B.B. Seaton , born Harris Lloyd Seaton the September 3rd 1944 with Kingston (Jamaica), is a singer and producer of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae jamaïcain. It is one of the founding members of the group The Gaylads with Delano Stewart and Maurice Robert , one of the vocal groups jamaïcains most outstanding of its time. The career of B.B. Seaton began in 1962 with the producer Coxsone, it continues to produce albums nowadays.

Biography

Beginning of career (1962 - 1964)

Also called Harris B.B. Seaton or Horace Seaton , this native of the capital jamaïcaine starts to write songs as of the college in Cornwall College, it is influenced by the North-American groups of Soul and Rythm and blues such as The Platters, The Drifters, The Temptations or The Four Signals.

It records ten individual with Studio One for Coxsone as from 1962, either with Delano Stewart under the name Winston & Bibby (for example for Lover man and I' L Be there ), or only for the titles Only you , Hold one , Because I coils you , I' m so glad or Such me . Starting from the end of the year 1963, it records with The Astronauts individual the Wicked Men , Rub It Down , I Don' T Need Your Love , When The Churchbells Rings and Please Beverley left for the majority on Blue Beat Records.

Period Gaylads (1964 - 1973)

Then, he officiates in the group The Gaylads (also known under the names of Gaylords or Psalms ) in company of Maurice Roberts (born on July 2nd, 1945 with Kingston) and Delano Stewart (born Winston Stewart on January 5th, 1947 with Kingston). During ten years, the group will evolve of the ska to the reggae while passing by the rocksteady and will leave a big number of individual regarded as belonging to the best jamaïcaines productions of the time. In the chapter of the ska, one can quote One KIS In The Morning , Rolling Down , Chipmunk ska , You should never C that and especially Lady with the red dress one among a score, the majority recorded in Studio One with The Skatalites like groups accompaniment.

About 1966, like the majority of the other jamaïcains groups of the time, the sound slips slowly towards the rocksteady (for example with the title Slipping and sliding where the rate/rhythm is still constant as in a ska but where one feels to sting the vocal harmonies suitable for the rocksteady). In two years, not less than 50 titles of Gaylads will appear. Among most outstanding, Peculiar Man She cried and I amndt free for Coxsone, A.B.C. Rocksteady , Over the rainbows end , I need your loving and Its hardware to confess for producing the Sonia Pottinger. They also work for the producers Lee Perry and Derrick Harriott.

At the end of 1969, Delano Stewart leaves the group for a career solo, it leaves its single album Stay has Little Bit To skirt also produced by Sonia Pottinger including/understanding the title Don' T believe in him , begun again later by U Roy or Stay has little bit to skirt and Wherever I lay my hat .

At the same time as the change of sonorities towards the reggae, Gaylads leave producing Sonia Pottinger for Leslie Kong and record on its label, Beverley' S, of new compositions as successful as those of the years rocksteady ( Wha she C now , people crying , Something is wrong somewhere , My Jamaican girl , etc) as well as successful recoveries ( Young gifted and black of Nina Simone, It' S all in the range of Tommy Edwards and Fire and rain of James Taylor). Howard Barrett, former member of The Paragons and Ricky Grant mitigate successively at the beginning of Delano Stewart.

After the death of Leslie Kong in August 1971, it are produced by Rupie Edwards. B.B. Seaton starts to move away from the group because it also occurs with Ken Boothe, Lloyd Charmers and Pete Weston under the name of Conscious Minds . Maurice Robert, only member of origin, calls then upon two brothers, Randell and Hopeton Thaxter but the group will find neither quality, nor the success which they had with the old formation.

The original duet, B.B. Seaton and Delano Stewart, reformed the group in 1991 for a concert Studio One then in 1993 for a concert with Kingston with Maurice Robert.

Without Gaylads (1971 - today)

B.B. Seaton launches out in parallel in a career of singer and producer in solo. First the individual outstanding one is Accept my apologies in 1971 as well as the resumption for Bill Withers Lean one me . It leaves the very rare album Thin line between coils and haste in 1973 and Color is not the answer . It produces one of the first albums of dub: Gun Court Dub where the Revolutionaries appear. It occurs in duet with Ken Boothe and Lloyd Charmers in particular for a resumption of Summertime of George Gershwin. It produces also many names of the reggae like Phil Francis for Laugh It Off , Claudette Miller ( Tonight Is The Night and I Must Be Dreaming ), Sweet Sunshine of Stalemate Rhoden, Give Love has Try and Mash Up Illiteracy of Delroy Wilson or Let Me Go Girl for Slim Smith.

In addition, he writes titles for Ken Boothe, Marcia Griffiths, Dennis Brown, Aswad, Freddie McGregor and UB40.

He currently lives in England where he is producer for his label, Happy Soul.

Discography of B.B. Seaton

Albums

Classification per year of recording

1973 - Thin Line Between Coils And Hate - Trojan Records
1974 - Dancing Shoes - Virgin Records
1976 - Color Is Not The Answer - Jama Records
1976 - Gun Court Dub - Coils Records
1979 - I' m Aware Of Coils - Roots Music Intl Records
1985 - Everyday People - Left in 1993 on Rhino Records

Compilations

Rootically Yours - Recorded between 1972 and 1979 - Exit in 2000 on Happy Drunk person Records
Seal Off Approval (B.B. Seaton & The Gaylads) - Exit in 2003 on Happy Drunk person Records
Reggae Land - Exit in 2006

Discography of Gaylads

Albums

Classification per year of recording

1967 - Sunshine is golden delicious - Coxsone Records
1967 - Drunk Happy aka Rock'n'roll Steady - Studio One Records and Coxsone Records
1970 - Fire & Rain - Left in 1999 on Jet set Records
1971 - The great Ken Boothe meet B.B. Seaton & The Gaylads - Jaguar Records
1979 - Understanding - Ballistic Records
1982 - Jah Jah Knows - Imperial Records
1984 - Cornell Campbell meets The Gaylads - Culture Close Records

Compilations

The best off The Gaylads - Exit in 1992 on Studio One Records
After Studio 1 (197X) - Exit in 1997 on Subway Records
Over The Rainbow' S End (1968-1971) - Exit in 1995 on Trojan Records
Ska Days (1962-1967) - Exit in 2002 on Studio One Records

Discography of Delano Stewart

Album

1970 - Stay has little bit to skirt - Trojan Records and High Note

Sources

the encyclopedia of the reggae 1960-1980 /Yannick Marshal. - Paris: alternate editions, 2005.
the official site of B.B. Seaton
the page of Gaylads, that of B.B. Seaton and that of Delano Stewart on the site discographic Roots-files

External bonds

Official site of B.B. Seaton

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