Winston Jarrett (born 14 September 1940)[Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, , p. 423] is a Jamaican reggae singer who was part of Alton Ellis's group The Flames in the 1960s before recording with The Righteous Flames and as a solo artist.
Biography
Born in 1940 in Lime Tree Gardens, Saint Ann Parish, Jarrett grew up in the Jones Town area of Kingston after moving there with his mother at the age of five.
[Katz, David (2000) People Funny Boy: the Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry, Payback Press, , p. 77] There, he was taught to play guitar by
Jimmy Cliff and Alton Ellis.
[Peter I (2004) " A Wise Man – Winston Jarrett interview", Reggae Vibes, retrieved 29 March 2011] Jarrett's introduction to the music industry was as a member of
Alton Ellis's backing band The Flames in the early 1960s, formed when Ellis's original singing partner Eddie Perkins emigrated to the US, singing on hits such as "Dancecrasher", "Cry Tough", "Rocksteady" and "Girl I've Got a Date".
[Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, , p. 145-6, 193] While with Ellis he wrote songs such as "Sunday Coming" and "True Born African".
In 1967, Jarrett parted ways with the UK-bound Ellis and with fellow Flame Edgar "Egga" Gardner formed The Righteous Flames with Junior Green, and the trio recorded for Arthur "Duke" Reid's Treasure Isle label and then for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One label.
[" Backup singer 'Baby G' dies at 70", Jamaica Gleaner, 26 November 2008, retrieved 29 March 2011] In 1969 they also recorded for Lee "Scratch" Perry ("Zion I Love You"). In the 1970s, they were generally billed as 'Winston Jarrett and the Righteous Flames'.
Among the members of The Righteous Flames was Danny Clarke, who left to form
The Meditations in 1974.
In the 1970s, tired of recording for others without receiving adequate payment, Jarrett self-produced much of his output, releasing it on his own Attra, Human Rights and Humble labels.[Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) The Rough Guide to Reggae, Rough Guides, , p. 212] and in the early 1990s recorded a tribute album to Bob Marley, also featuring Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
Discography
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The Kingston Rock (1974), RCA Records – split with Horace Andy
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Man of the Ghetto (1977), Sonic Sounds – Winston Jarrett & the Righteous Flames
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Wise Man (1979), Tamoki Wambesi
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Ranking Ghetto Style (1980), Gorgon
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Rocking Vibration (1984), Culture Press
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Jonestown (1989), Nighthawk
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Kingston Vibrations (1991), Ras Records
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Sings Tribute to Bob Marley (1994), Original – Winston Jarrett & the Righteous Flames
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Solid Foundation (1995), Heartbeat
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Too Many Boundaries (1995), RAS
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Crucial Times (2003), Studio One
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Children of the Ghetto (2006), Jah Shaka Music
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Bushwhackers Gangbangers (2010), Bigmore
- Compilations
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Rise Up! Classics from the 60's (2001), Sankofa – Winston Jarrett & the Righteous Flames
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Survival Is the Game (2005), Young Tree
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Unity & Livity (1999), JDC
External links
