Representative Albums: "Rivers of Babylon: The Best of the Melodians 1967-1973," "Swing & Dine," "Sweet Sensation"
Representative Songs: "Rivers of Babylon," "Sweet Sensation," "You Don't Need Me"
Biography
Vocal trio the Melodians were one of Jamaica's greatest rocksteady groups, cutting a series of classic singles during the late '60s and early '70s that included the internationally famed "Rivers of Babylon" and "Sweet Sensation." The group was formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston in 1963 and included Tony Brevett (brother of Skatalites bassist Lloyd Brevett) and Brent Dowe, who split lead vocal duties, plus full-time harmony singer Trevor McNaughton. Additional member Renford Cogle never sang with the group, but wrote or co-wrote much of their material, and also served as an arranger. In their early days, the Melodians performed quite successfully in talent shows around Kingston, which eventually led to their first recording session -- for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One label -- in 1966. Only two of the four tracks were released, and drew little attention.
The Melodians moved over to Duke Reid's Treasure Isle imprint from 1967-1968, and it was there that they had their first taste of success. Singles like "You Have Caught Me," "Expo 67," "I'll Get Along Without You," "You Don't Need Me" (which featured groundbreaking chatter U-Roy), and "Come On Little Girl" established them as one of the sweetest-sounding vocal ensembles on the rocksteady scene. After "Come On Little Girl" became a hit in 1968, the group joined up with producer Sonia Pottinger and scored two more successes that year, "Little Nut Tree" and "Swing and Dine."
The Melodians broke through to a wider international audience when they began recording for producer Leslie Kong in 1969, an association that resulted in many of their most celebrated songs. "Sweet Sensation" sold quite well in the U.K. as well as Jamaica, and it was eclipsed in both places later that year by the smash "Rivers of Babylon," which became the group's signature tune. "Rivers of Babylon" also marked the emergence of a Rastafarian spiritual consciousness in the group's songwriting, which had heretofore tackled mostly romantic concerns; they would occasionally return to Rasta themes on songs like "Black Man Kingdom Come." Continuing to enjoy significant success with Kong, they stuck with him until the producer's untimely death in 1971.
The tragedy effectively marked the end of the Melodians' heyday. They cut a few more records for producers like Lee "Scratch" Perry, Harry J, and Byron Lee's Dynamic Sounds studio and made second go-rounds with both Pottinger and Reid. Nothing quite recaptured their success with Kong, however, and Dowe left the group in 1973; they disbanded not long after, despite "Rivers of Babylon" finding a whole new audience via its inclusion on Jimmy Cliff's soundtrack for The Harder They Come. Dowe and Brevett both recorded solo singles during the mid-'70s, the former with Lee Perry. They re-formed the Melodians in 1976 and re-recorded many of their old hits for Harry J, but the venture didn't get much further. The trio reconvened once again in the early '80s and cut a reunion album of new material, Irie Feeling, in 1983 (the same year UB40 covered "Sweet Sensation" on their hit Labour of Love album). Irie Feeling failed to re-establish them, but they later found work on the revival circuit and made a living by touring internationally and performing their classics of old. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
In 1966 The Melodians made their recording debut with Coxsone Dodd's Studio Onelabel with the releases "Lay It On" "Meet Me", "I Should Have Made It Up" and "Let's Join Hands (Together)." From 1967 to 1968 they had a number of hits on Duke Reid's Treasure Islelabel, including "You Have Caught Me", "Expo 67", "I'll Get Along Without You", and "You Don't Need Me." After recording "Swing and Dine" for record producerSonia Pottinger, they recorded their biggest hit, "Rivers of Babylon" for Leslie Kong. This song became an anthem of the Rastafarian movement, and was featured on the soundtrack for the movie, The Harder They Come. After Kong's death in 1971, they recorded for Lee Perry and Byron Lee's Dynamic Studios. In 1973, Brent Dowe left the group for a solo career. The group reformed briefly a few years later, and again in the early 1980s.
Band revival
The Melodians regrouped again in the 1990s as part of the rootsrevival and continue to perform and record. In 1992 they recorded "Song of Love", which was issued on the Tappa Zukie label. Throughout the later 1990s they continued touring internationally, including appearing at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California in 2002. In November 2005 The Melodians embarked on a West Coast tour.
On the evening of 28 January 2006, after a rehearsal in preparation for a performance to take place the following weekend at the Jamaican Prime Minister’s residence; Brent Dowe, suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 59. The remaining original members Tony Brevett and Trevor McNaughton continued touring in Europe and the U.S. backed by the Yellow Wall Dub Squad.
