FAO Penny Reel (or anybody else)

hello penny

i'm sure you know this one too :-)

'79 Back-A-Yard / Jah Light

Recorded at Summer Sound
Eng. Jerry Brown
Mixed by Jerry
Prod. by W.whyte
Pub. by Westking Music B.M.I
1980

Ben Bow - Drum
L.(Jahles) Blackwood - Bass
Mickey Murry - Rhythm Guitar and Lead
Biran I - Keys
Carl Darkin - Percussion
Fixe - Horns
Back up Vocal - Penny

doesn't sound particularly jamaican produced. i wonder if its from canada. maybe some exile jamaicans? nice horns - somehow special dub mix. can you (or somebody else, i tried on baf but nobody knew something) share some light here?

thanks

capullo

I know a few songs with the title 'Back A Yard', most notably the tune by the In Crowd. This must be the Carl Dawkins title though, which I've never heard. I see that Carl plays percussion on the track and probably sings it too. Other than the drummer Benbow I recognise no one, not even the back up vocalist Penny, which ain't me. This is as you say a Canadian release, issued on the Jahugd label. Again I've never seen the label.

Reel

Hi Penny

yes, it's indeed Carl Darkin - the cover is greyish, with a grey star in which is written "jahlight" over a black african continent. it says WH-001 on the label, so i assume it was the first ever release on Whyts Records

I like some of Carl's stuff Capullo, especially his JJ recordings. 'Satisfaction' and 'Perseverance' are two that spring to mind. Other nice Dawkins are 'Doctor Rodney' about the black power leader Walter Rodney, and 'Heavy Load' for Clancy Eccles. He also does a fine version of the Chicken Shack tune 'I'd Rather Go Blind' and for Lee Perry a cut of Freddy McKay's 'Picture On The Wall' featuring back up vocals from Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh (possibly Bob Marley too).

Not only is that 'Back A Yard' tune the first release on Whyte's label it's also the only release on the label.

Ites
Reel

thanks! appreciated!

capullo

On the subject of Carl Dawkins, anyone familiar with this one I found in the secondhand bins recently...?

Carl Dawkins - Africans Awakens / Awake

Exec. Prod. D. Spear, B. Walker, & J. Johnson

Arranged By J. Holt, P. James & D. Spear

1980 Taurus Records TR1003

Production credit names look familiar, would that be a combination of former Burning Spear and Culture backup vocalists involved? Any relation between Carl and Tad Dawkins?

MW

a killer carl dawkins is dreadful situation on a cancer 7" real ruff roots