The Techniques

Formation

The Techniques were formed in Kingston in 1962 by Winston Riley while he was still at school. The first line-up was Riley, Slim Smith, Franklyn White and Frederick Waite. The personnel changed often, and Riley was the only constant member.

Treasure Isle years

From 1965 the group recorded for Duke Reid, whose Treasure Isle productions carried their best known work. "Little Did You Know", "You Don't Care", "Queen Majesty", "My Girl" and "Love Is Not a Gamble" came out of this period and are staples of rocksteady. Several were adaptations of Chicago soul songs, reflecting the influence of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions on Jamaican harmony groups.

Changing voices

Singers who passed through the group included Slim Smith, Pat Kelly, Bruce Ruffin, Dave Barker and Lloyd Parks. Pat Kelly sang lead on "You Don't Care", and Smith and Kelly both went on to solo careers. "Travelling Man" became another signature song in the late 1960s.

Techniques label and Winston Riley

After leaving Treasure Isle, Riley set up the Techniques label in 1968 for the group and for productions of other artists. He produced Ansel Collins's instrumental "Stalag 17" (1973), whose rhythm became the Stalag riddim, one of the most versioned rhythms in dancehall and the base of Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam". Riley was one of the most successful Jamaican producers of the 1980s. He died in January 2012.

Legacy

The group reunited briefly in 1982 with former Paragons singer Tyrone Evans on lead. The "Queen Majesty" rhythm was reused on Treasure Isle by The Uniques and toasted over by U-Roy, and the group's Treasure Isle sides remain in print through Trojan reissues.