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The Melodians are a rocksteady band formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston, Jamaica, in 1963, by Tony Brevett (born 1949, nephew of The Skatalites bassist, Lloyd Brevett), Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton." Tony Brevett's Unheralded Greatness", Jamaica Gleaner, 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013 Renford Cogle assisted with songwriter and arrangement material.
The group recorded some material with Prince Buster before Ken Boothe introduced them to Coxsone Dodd's Studio One record label where in 1966 they recorded "Lay It On" (one of the first records to reflect the shift from ska to rocksteady), "Meet Me", "I Should Have Made It Up" and "Let's Join Hands (Together)". Lead vocal duties were now shared between Brevett and Dowe. From 1967 to 1968 they had a number of hit record on Duke Reid's Treasure Isle record label, 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 producer Sonia Pottinger, they had further hits with "Little Nut Tree" before recording their biggest hit, "Rivers of Babylon" for Leslie Kong. This song became an anthem of the Rastafarian movement, and was featured on the soundtrack of the film The Harder They Come. In the early 1970s Brevett also recorded as a solo artist, having his greatest success with "Don't Get Weary". 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.
The Melodians regrouped again in the 1990s as part of the roots revival. In 1992 they recorded "Song of Love", which was issued on the Tappa Zukie label. Throughout the later 1990s they continued concert tour internationally, including appearing at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California in 2002. In 2005 The Melodians embarked on a West Coast tour.
The death of Tony Brevett in 2013 left McNaughton as the only surviving original member. McNaughton toured as a solo artist in 2014 and subsequently recruited Taurus Alphonso (formerly of the Mellow Tones) and Winston Dias (formerly of The Movers) to form a new Melodians line-up.Campbell, Howard (2015) " Return of the Melodians", Jamaica Observer, 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015 As of February 2015, the group were recording a new album in Florida with producer Willie Lindo. The Return of the Melodians was released in May 2017 and went on to reach no. 19 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.Jackson, Kevin (2018) " The Melodians 'return' to Billboard", Jamaica Observer, 10 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018
In February 2017, the Melodians received an 'Iconic Award' from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA)." Melodians Trevor McNaughton is dead", Jamaica Observer, 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018
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