Lincoln Thompson
Encyclopedia
Prince Lincoln Thompson, known as Sax, was a Jamaican singer, musician and songwriter
with the reggae
band the Royal Rasses, and a member of the Rastafari movement
. He was born June 18, 1949 in Jonestown, next to Trenchtown, both parts of the slummy shanty town in the poor west side of inner Kingston
, Jamaica
and died of cancer
in London
on January 23, 1999 days after being first diagnosed. He was noted for his high falsetto singing voice, very different from his spoken voice.
of The Congos
in 1967 in a band called The Tartans
who then split up in 1969. In 1971 he was taken on by Coxsone Dodd
, and recorded 3 songs with him at Studio One called Daughters of Zion
, True Experience and Live up to your name. In 1974 he recorded the Humanity album with Cedric Myton, Clinton Hall and Keith Peterkin, and set up the God Sent label in order to sell it. He had two hit singles with Love the way it should be and Kingston 11.
. A single Unconventional people was released as a 12 inch single in March 1979 with the Humanity album following in May. That summer of 79 the Royal Rasses recorded a second Prince Lincoln album, Experience, this time without Cedric Myton. This album contained more than just the traditional drum and bass sound of most reggae. The band renamed themselves the Rasses to avoid confusion with fellow reggae band The Royals
to record a further album called Natural Wild in summer 1980. This time the music was made in London. Prince Lincoln's decision to invite English rock musician Joe Jackson
was controversial, and the album was a commercial flop.
Thompson returned to Jamaica and re-set up the successful God Sent label with the help of German
company Juicy Peeple to produce his fourth album Ride with the Rasses in 1982. This music was recorded at Tuff Gong and Channel One
studiosl. Around this time he and his family moved to Tottenham
, London
where he opened an Ital
shop called The Rasses Fish and Grocery Store. In September 1983 he recorded Rootsman Blues in Addis Ababa studio in London. It was released by Target Records with only three musicians per track, giving the music the intimate quality of chamber music
.
heard the music in Thompson's shop and agreed to become a sponsor. This final album was also recorded in London.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
with the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band the Royal Rasses, and a member of the Rastafari movement
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
. He was born June 18, 1949 in Jonestown, next to Trenchtown, both parts of the slummy shanty town in the poor west side of inner Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on January 23, 1999 days after being first diagnosed. He was noted for his high falsetto singing voice, very different from his spoken voice.
Biography
He began his recording career as a harmony singer along with Cedric MytonCedric Myton
Cedric Myton born in Jamaica is a Reggae musician and Rastafarian. Myton played with Prince Lincoln Thompson in The Tartans in the early 1970s until they apparently fell out. Cedric Myton claims he was one of the backing harmony vocals on Prince Lincoln's Humanity album recorded in 1975, but he is...
of The Congos
The Congos
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:...
in 1967 in a band called The Tartans
The Tartans
The Tartans were a rocksteady group who came together in 1967 in Kingston, Jamaica. The members were initially Prince Lincoln Thompson, Cedric Myton, Devon Russell and Lindberg Lewis....
who then split up in 1969. In 1971 he was taken on by Coxsone Dodd
Coxsone Dodd
Clement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, CD was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond...
, and recorded 3 songs with him at Studio One called Daughters of Zion
Zion
Zion is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem. The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE...
, True Experience and Live up to your name. In 1974 he recorded the Humanity album with Cedric Myton, Clinton Hall and Keith Peterkin, and set up the God Sent label in order to sell it. He had two hit singles with Love the way it should be and Kingston 11.
Record deal
He was only selling a tiny number of records until in 1978 he was signed up by Mo Claridge, who at the time ran Ballistics Records, a London offshoot of United ArtistsUnited Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. A single Unconventional people was released as a 12 inch single in March 1979 with the Humanity album following in May. That summer of 79 the Royal Rasses recorded a second Prince Lincoln album, Experience, this time without Cedric Myton. This album contained more than just the traditional drum and bass sound of most reggae. The band renamed themselves the Rasses to avoid confusion with fellow reggae band The Royals
The Royals (group)
The Royals were a Jamaican roots reggae vocal group formed in 1964 by Roy Cousins. They continued to record, with a varying line-up until the mid-1980s.-History:...
to record a further album called Natural Wild in summer 1980. This time the music was made in London. Prince Lincoln's decision to invite English rock musician Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson (musician)
Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
was controversial, and the album was a commercial flop.
Thompson returned to Jamaica and re-set up the successful God Sent label with the help of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
company Juicy Peeple to produce his fourth album Ride with the Rasses in 1982. This music was recorded at Tuff Gong and Channel One
Channel One News
Channel One News is a 12 minute news program for teens broadcast via satellite to middle schools and high schools across the United States. Channel One is owned by Alloy Media + Marketing and based in New York City.-Program History:...
studiosl. Around this time he and his family moved to Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he opened an Ital
Ital
Ital or I-tal is food often celebrated by those in the Rastafari movement. The word derives from the English word "vital", with the initial syllable replaced by i. This is done to many words in the Rastafari vocabulary to signify the unity of the speaker with all of nature...
shop called The Rasses Fish and Grocery Store. In September 1983 he recorded Rootsman Blues in Addis Ababa studio in London. It was released by Target Records with only three musicians per track, giving the music the intimate quality of chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
.
Later career
He released a final album, 21st century in 1997 after someone from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heard the music in Thompson's shop and agreed to become a sponsor. This final album was also recorded in London.
Singles
- Daughters of ZionZionZion is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem. The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE...
(1971) - True Experience (1971)
- Live up to your name (1971)
Albums
- Humanity 1979
- Experience 1979 (The lyrics from Walk in Jah light and Thanksgiving have been used to explain the doctrine of physical immortality at Rastafari movementRastafari movementThe Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
). - Harder na RassHarder na RassHarder na Rass is a dub reggae album by Lincoln Thompson released in 1979. It is the dub for his Experience album.-Track listing:#Interstellar Over Dub#Second Sight#Nebular Dub#Time Wharp#Universally Dubbed#Terrestrial Dub...
1979 - Natural WildNatural WildNatural Wild is a reggae album by Jamaican artist Lincoln Thompson and the Rasses released in 1980 and recorded in the United Kingdom. Joe Jackson collaborated on the album whose central theme was the promotion of the culture and morality of the Rastafari movement...
1980 - Ride with the RassesRide with the RassesRide with the Rasses is the fifth album by Jamaican reggae artist Lincoln Thompson. The album was released 1982.-Track listing:# "One Common Need"# "Kinky Money Game"# "Come Spring"# "Fall Back"# "The Brotherhood Of Man"# "Ride With The Rasses"...
1982 - Rootsman BluesRootsman BluesRootsman Blues is a reggae album by Lincoln Thompson in London, England and released in September 1983.-Track listing:#Unite the world#Hail Shanti#Whopping good vibration#Rootsman Blues#Revolutionary man#You make me feel alright...
1983 also titled Unite The World - 21st century 1997