The enigmatic producer and sometime singer Keith Hudson first made an impression on the Jamaican music scene in the late 60′s with vocal sides by Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson and John Holt. These early hits were enhanced by groundbreaking early DJ sides by the likes of Dennis Alcapone and U Roy.
By the early 1970′s the music was flowing thick and fast on his Inbidimts, Rebind and Mafia labels. Whilst much of his 70′s work was on cuting edge Reggae rhythms a handful of tunes harked back to an earlier era by utilising older Rocksteady backing tracks.
The first sound sample of a Rocksteady rhythm is Shake It Up. Believed to be by the Versatiles or the Sensations, only blank copies of this seen to exist so it is impossible to be certain about the artists. Keith Hudson recorded himself on this rhythm and then voiced the DJ Phillip Samuel on it as well.
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Shake It Up – probably the Versatiles or the Sensations, a “CB” production.
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Keith Hudson – Old Fire Stick.
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Phillip Samuel – Hot Stick Version.
How Keith Hudson came by these rhythms isn’t exactly clear. They all seem to have come from a producer with the initials CB (as indicated on the matrix) and were released as blanks, or on the Olympic label, between 1967 and 1969. The producer was believed to have been Carl Bryan but apparently he has said it wasn’t him, other possibles are Clifton Baugh or C.Bradford. The UK releases on Pama only serve to confuse matters concerning the true identity of the producer. Show Me The Way/What Can I Do by The Termites credits R.Bennett and Push It Up by The Termites credits H.Robinson as producer and Clancy Eccles as composer!
Show Me The Way by The Termites. This is the only one of the “CB” rhythms used by Hudson to get a UK release, on the Pama label. Keith Hudson must have liked this rhythm as he voiced two songs on it, note the different mix on the second Hudson cut.
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Show Me The Way – The Termites
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Keith Hudson – Popular
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Keith Hudson – Don’t Start It Up.
One of these rhythm tracks, Go And Cry, was also used by Keith “Stamma” Hobson who had a working relationship with Keith Hudson. Hobson cut Golden Snake by Johnny Clarke and a number of other tunes on this rhythm it was also used by Hudson on his vocal; Smoke Without Fire.
The artist credit on the Rocksteady cut Go And Cry is also unconfirmed. The later use of the rhythm is a lot clearer. Keith Hudson voiced it and Keith Hobson recorded Johnny Clarke, The Heptones and deejay Little Clive on it.
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Go And Cry – possibly the Merry Boys (the Harmonians?) or the Emotions.
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Keith Hudson – Smoke Without Fire.
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Johnny Clarke – Golden Snake.
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Little Clive – African Bread
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Heptones – Girl You Wrong.
Many of the Keith Hudson and Keith Stamma Hobson sides mentioned are available on the excellent Trojan Records double CD compilation – The Hudson Affair, this gives a great overview of Hudsons work from the late 60′s onwards and is highly recommended.
Apparently only issued on a blank credited to Karl Bryan. This fuelled speculation that the “CB” matrix refers to Carl/Karl Bryan though this has apparently been discounted.
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Night Curfew- Karl Bryan
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Dennis Alcapone – Shades Of Hudson
The following are not featured on The Hudson Affair; Erotic Touch Of Hot Skin – Dennis Alcapone, Always – Al Brown, Old Fire Stick – Keith Hudson, Girl You Wrong – Heptones (all of which are currently unavailable) and Hot Stick Version – Phillip Samuel which was available on the now deleted Trojan CD Studio Kinda Cloudy.
The original version of this rhythm was the last to be identified, Dance With Me was on the flip side Shake It Up (see above). Keith Hudson used it twice, for Al Brown and Dennis Alcapone.
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Unknown – Dance With Me
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Al Brown – Allways
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Dennis Alcapone – The Erotic Touch Of Hot Skin.
The final track (below) is another Olympic production, initially it was thought this might be related to Always/Erotic Touch… whilst this isn’t the case I’ve kept the sound sample up as it would be a shame to lose it!
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Ed Parkins – Soul Message
The “CB” Rocksteady sides are altogether more obscure and hard to find. None are currently available on reissue nor does it seem likely that they will be unless some enterprising individual can positively confirm the identity of the producer and make contact with him.
My Baby is Gone was only re-used once by Keith Hudson.
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The Termites – My Baby Is Gone
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Keith Hudson – Old Broom
Special thanks to: Dave Home, Al Kaatz, Matt Dinsmore, Roots Knotty Roots, Dave Hendley, Tommy Rock-A-Shacka, Ekki, Chungdejah, Daniel Kania, Dave Russell, Bob Brooks and the Blood And Fire and Pama Forum message boards.
Wanted:
- Label scans of stamped pre’s of the CB productions mentioned.
- Any information of clues about who the “CB” who produced these tracks actually was.
- Scans of the 7″ labels of any of the tunes mentioned that we don’t illustrate.
If you can help with any of the above then please get in touch.
I really like the new layout Tim. I believe that Little Clive who toasted on ‘African Bread’ is Clive Chin but can’t confirm that 100%. Nice to hear ‘Stamma’ on the intro as well.
Just in case anyone is interested the inspiration for Dennis Alcapone’s fantastically titled ‘Erotic Touch of Hot Skin’ can be found here;
http://tinyurl.com/2le6db
..and there’s a review of it here;
http://tinyurl.com/2sb4tp
It sounds like a winner!
Hi Tim, I realized today that I have the original rock steady version of Always and The Erotic Touch Of Hot Skin. Its on Olympic pre. Artist: ED. Parkins – Soul Message
Regards
Daniel
Thanks Daniel this is very interesting. There’s an email coming your way…
Wow! I’d really like to hear ‘Soul Message’. I remember Tim saying that he felt ‘Always’ was a version to an earlier rhythm whereas I felt it was on an original rhythm. Looks like you were right Tim!
Soon come Dave
Nice feature. I always imagined a Delroy original to ‘Smoke without fire’ before discovering this! Is there the same guitar bits on the original (Lynne Tait?)? Anywhere I can hear the whole original?
Keep up the good work.
Vinc
>>In our father’s house<>My baby is gone<>Old broom<<.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/75913636@N00/5435584673/in/photostream/
The great Dennis Alcapone, next to legendary Ken Boothe and Mr Dave Barker at Reggae Brittania at Barbican. Documented by UK Pogus Caesar.! What a line up!
My name is Ras Charles Jones. I performed with Keith is 1980 in a band called Earthworm. We performed at My Fathers Place, Tramps, Tier 3, Eighties. I now do radio at Binghamton University-WHRW. I can re reached at 607 7295526 for further info on Keith. Ras Charles Jones