Alton Ellis

Trenchtown beginnings

Alton Ellis was born on 1 September 1938 in Trenchtown, Kingston. He began recording in 1959 as half of the duo Alton & Eddy, cutting sides for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd. Their R&B ballad "Muriel" (1960), which Ellis wrote while working on a construction site, was an early hit.

The Flames and rocksteady

In the mid 1960s Ellis formed The Flames and recorded for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label. Songs such as "Cry Tough" and "Dance Crasher" spoke out against rude boy violence. "Girl I've Got a Date" is regarded as one of the foundational rocksteady records, and "Rock Steady" (1967), cut with Tommy McCook, was the first song to name the new style. His Studio One LP Mr Soul of Jamaica is treated as a definitive rocksteady album.

Studio One classics

At Studio One Ellis recorded "I'm Still in Love with You" (1967), with Leroy Sibbles of The Heptones on bass. Its rhythm was reused for Althea & Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking" (1977) and later by Sean Paul. "Mad Mad" (1968) supplied the rhythm for the dancehall Diseases riddim, and it has been sampled by hip hop artists including KRS-One, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac and Black Star.

Life in England

Ellis toured the UK in 1967 with Ken Boothe and settled there permanently in 1972. He ran the All-Tone record shop in South London and kept recording, including duets with Phyllis Dillon and productions with Lloyd Charmers. His sister Hortense Ellis was also a singer, and his sons Noel and Christopher Ellis became reggae vocalists.

Honours and death

Jamaica awarded Ellis the Order of Distinction in 2004, and he entered the International Reggae and World Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2006. He died of cancer at Hammersmith Hospital, London, on 10 October 2008. In 2012 the main hall of the Trench Town Multi-Purpose Building was named the Alton Ellis Auditorium.