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Biography
other uses2|CongoInfobox musical artist | name = The Congos| image = The Congos in Chartres 1.JPG| caption = The Congos in concert in Chartres (France) on October 21, 2006| image_size = | landscape = yes| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = Jamaica | genre = Roots reggae | years_active =| label =| associated_acts =| website =| current_members = Roydel Johnson Cedric Myton Watty Burnett Kenroy Ffyffe| past_members = Lindburgh Lewis Devon Russell The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They are best known for their Heart of the Congos album, recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry .
History
The Congos formed as the duo Roydel Johnson|"Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica ) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica ), later becoming a trio with the addition of Watty Burnett (baritone) (b.early 1950s, Port Antonio , Jamaica ).cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae |year= 1998 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0242-9 cite web |url= http://www.reggae-vibes.com/concert/wburnett/wburnett.htm |title=Open the Gate and Let I Man Free - An interview with Watty Burnett |accessdate=8 January 2008 |author=Peter I |year=2003 |month=January |work= |publisher=reggae-vibes.com |quote= Myton had previously been a member of The Tartans in the late 1960s (along with Prince Lincoln Thompson , Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and Ras Michael 's group, and had recorded with Thompson's Royal Rasses in the mid-1970s.cite book |last=Katz |first=David |title=Solid Foundation - An Oral History of Reggae |year= 2003 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=0-7475-6847-2 cite book |last=Barrow |first=Steve |coauthors= Dalton, Peter|title=Reggae: 100 Essential CDs - The Rough Guide |year=1999 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=1-85828-567-4 He formed the Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, recording the single "At the Feast" for Lee "Scratch" Perry. Perry expanded the group to a trio with the addition of Burnett, this line-up recording the classic roots reggae album Heart of the Congos in 1977 at Perry's The Black Ark|Black Ark studio. The album featured illustrious backing singers such as Gregory Isaacs , The Meditations , and Barry LLewellyn and Earl Morgan of The Heptones . The album has been described as "the most consistently brilliant album of Scratch's entire career".cite book |last=Barrow |first=Steve |coauthors= Dalton, Peter |title=Reggae: The Rough Guide |year= 1997 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=1-85828-247-0
Perry's previous productions by Max Romeo and Junior Murvin had been huge commercial successes thanks to a deal with Island Records , but Perry was in dispute with Island at the time the Congos' album was finished, so it was released on his own Black Ark label, limiting its success overseas, and causing a rift with the group. The Congos went their own way, organizing a limited pressing of the album themselves. United Kingdom label Go Feet Records|Go Feet eventually reissued the album in 1980, and although the group had recorded new material since leaving Perry, Heart of the Congos proved a hard act to follow and their other releases suffered as a consequence. Albums such as Congo Ashanti were sparser and sounded ordinary compared to Perry's kitchen-sink-and-all massive productions.
Burnett quit the group, soon followed by Johnson, who embarked on a solo career. Myton continued to record as The Congos with various other musicians until the mid-1980s.
In the mid-1990s, The Congos reformed, with Myton and Burnett joined by Lindburgh Lewis, several albums following in subsequent years. In 2005 Myton recorded Give Them the Rights with a host of backup singers and star session players such as Sly and Robbie and Earl "Chinna" Smith , very much in the spiritual 70s roots vein. In 2006, the UK reggae revival label Blood and Fire (record label)|Blood and Fire released the album Fisherman Style featuring a remixed version of the classic cut "Fisherman" from Heart of the Congos plus such legends as Horace Andy , Big Youth , Dillinger (musician)|Dillinger , Prince Jazzbo , Luciano (singer)|Luciano , Freddie McGregor , Gregory Isaacs , Max Romeo , Mykal Rose , Dean Fraser , Sugar Minott , and U-Roy doing their own new versions over the original rhythm.cite web |url= http://www.gridface.com/reviews/fisherman_style.html |title=The Congos: Fisherman Style review |accessdate=31 December 2007 |author=Jacob Arnold |year=2006 |month=April |publisher=gridface.com cite web |url= http://www.roots-archives.com/release/4367 |title=Various Artists: Fisherman Style |accessdate=31 December 2007 |publisher=Roots Archives
In 2008, The Congos appeared in the independent feature film, Wah Do Dem which captures them performing "Fisherman," and "Congoman Chant," under a full moon at Helshire Beach outside Kingston.
In 2009, Myton, Burnett, and Johnson reunited with Perry to record the album Back in the Black Ark , which, despite its title, was recorded at Myton's studio in Portmore and at Mixing Lab, Kingston.Katz, David (2010) "Culture Section", Mojo (magazine)|MOJO , March 2010, p. 15
Album discography
Heart of the Congos (1977) Black Ark
Congo Ashanti (1979) Congo Ashanty/ CBS
Image of Africa (1979) Congo Ashanty/ Epic Records|Epic / CBS
Face The Music (1981) Go Feet
Best Of Congos vol. 1 (1983) Tafari
Natty Dread Rise Again (1997) RAS Records|RAS
Revival (1998) VP Records|VP
Live at Maritime Hall: San Francisco (2000) 2B1
Lion Treasure (2001) JDC/M10
Give Them the Rights (2005) Young Tree Records|Young Tree
Fisherman Style (2006) Blood and Fire (record label)|Blood and Fire
Cock Mouth Kill Cock (2006) Explorer Music also issued as Feast (2006) Kingston Sounds
Swinging Bridge (2006) Mediacom/Nocturne
Back in the Black Ark (2009) Mediacom
Dub Feast (2012) Jamaican Recordings
FRKWYS Vol. 9: Icon Give Thank (2012), RVNG Intl - with Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.roots-archives.com/artist/55 The Congos at Roots Archives
http://rootsdub.free.fr/Congos%20-%20disco.htm The Congos album discography from Rootsdub
DEFAULTSORT:Congos, The Category:Jamaican reggae musical groups Category:Performers of Rastafarian music
