The Mighty Diamonds & Big Youth Play C2 On Tues 25th Feb
Published 8th Feb 2003 by Alison@c2

Tues 25th Feb? The Mighty Diamonds Jamaican vocal trio with sweet, soulful harmonies and?energetic stage antics.? Best known for the?reggae classics 'Pass the Kutchie', 'Country Living' & 'The Right Time'?+?Big Youth Greatly respected & inspiring elder statesman of reggae !?+ Aces Crew.? 9pm.? ?10.

---------------
The Mighty Diamonds Biog??????? (Big Youth Biog below)

formed?-?1975
(Kingston, Jamaica)

Donald 'Tabby' Shaw - ... the prophet
Fitzroy 'Bunny' Simpson - ... the jester
Lloyd 'Judge' Ferguson - ... the judge

The most consistent and long-running vocal trio in Jamaican musical history, consisting of the judge (Judge), the jester (Bunny), and the prophet (Tabby Diamond, the lead singer). Possessing one of the most achingly pure voices on earth, Tabby croons mini morality plays, limning life on the island of suffering with the precision of a microscope. They are best known for the reggae classics "Pass the Koutchie," "Country Living," and "The Right Time."

Known in the reggae business for their sweet, soulful harmonies and constant hits, the Mighty Diamonds are one of the world's greatest harmony groups who continue to achieve stardom on their own terms, wrapping a militant message in some of the prettiest melodies around. Even with their mushrooming international popularity, the Mighty Diamonds have not forgotten their roots which come from the unique cultural potpourri of Jamaica with its harsh ghetto realities and its irresistible reggae pulse.

On stage antics of the Mighty Diamonds are reminiscent of the Four Tops with their animated hand gestures and energetic footwork. Favorites of the dance hall crowd, roots or progressive audiences, the Diamonds have thrilled audiences at Reggae Sunsplash for over a decade while generating mounds of favorable US and European press. Their unquestionable reputation for a stylized traditional and polished sound has earned them prominence as a model reggae harmony trio.

Formed in 1969, the Mighty Diamonds consist of Donald Shaw (Tabby Diamond), Lloyd Ferguson (Judge Diamond), and Fitzroy Simpson (Bunny Diamond), three brethren from Trenchtown, Jamaica, an area known to produce many great Reggae stars. Their first recordings at Dynamic Sounds eventually led them to their classic hit "Shame and Pride" in 1973. HYPERLINK "mhtml:mid://00001392/!http://www.reggaemovement.com/Artists/images/pic_mdiamonds.jpg"Mighty Diamonds

Known as the young group with the "Motown sound", the Diamonds recorded "Country Living" at Channel Music. After touring the US with Toots and the Maytals, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1975 and recorded four albums. By 1982, "Pass the Kutchie" from the album Changes had become an international hit and has since been covered by Musical Youth, whose version "Pass the Dutchie" has also been a hit all over the world.

?

Big Youth: A Reggae Phenomenon

Manley Augustus Buchanen was born in February 1955 to a preacher mother and a policeman father, as one of five children. He left school at 14, and started work in his teens as a cab driver and hotel mechanic at the Skyline and Sheraton hotels in Kingston. From singing at work, he gradually worked his way up to become the top deejay of the Lord Tippertone sound.

His first recording, the Gregory Isaacs produced "Movie Man" didn't really do much, but further ventures increased his profile, and by the time Youth worked with producer HYPERLINK "http://www.geocities.com/studiowon/Hudson.htm"Keith Hudson, he was at his peak. His "S.90 Skank" went gold, (& red & green) just like the jewels he had sometime dentist Hudson place in his front teeth. In between he cut some killer material with Gussie Clarke which resulted in the fabulous "Screaming Target" LP.

In 1973, Youth formed his own labels, Negusa Negast and Augustus Buchanen, and these quickly saw some quality releases, but Mr. Buchanen still found time to work with other producers, such as Prince Buster, Joe Gibbs, Derrick Harriott and Winston Riley. Due to his phenomenal output at this time, Jah Youth at one stage had 5 of the top 10 singles in Jamaica.

Jah Youth cut a version of The Wailers "Keep On Moving" with Lee Perry, "Mooving Version" in 1972, as well as two version's of Bunny Wailer's song "Bide Up", ("Bide", and "Black On Black"). Youth kept up the pace through the mid-1970's with other great tracks, such as "House Of DreadLocks", "All Nations Bow", "Wolf In Sheeps Clothing", "Mosiah Garvey" and too many more to mention.

These songs helped make Big Youth a superstar in Jamaica, and he soon travelled to England with a young HYPERLINK "http://www.geocities.com/studiowon/DennisBrown.htm"Dennis Brown, to stage some spectacular live shows. The Youth Man was backed by The Ark Angels, and Brown by Joe Gibbs and The Professionals, giving English audiences a first hand taste of what was hot in Jamaica.

The London Rainbow show (1977) must have had an effect on the watching Johhny Rotten (Lyndon), as soon after he was photographed in the music press sharing a huge spliff with Mr Youth.

Big Youth still records and plays live, and is still greatly respected. >From rebel youth to elder statesman of reggae, he still inspires today, almost 30 years after he began singing and rapping. One of the the founders of conscious music, Big Youth still makes righteous songs aimed at the education of the youth, and the principles of Zion.

4772 Views