The Abyssinians
Encyclopedia
The Abyssinians are a Jamaica
n roots reggae
group, famous for their close harmonies and promotion of the Rastafari movement
in their lyrics.
", which was strongly influenced by Carlton Manning's "Happy Land". "Satta Massagana" is a Rastafarian hymn sung partly in the ancient Ethiopia
n Amharic language. They recruited a third vocalist, who was still at school and often unable to attend rehearsals; He was soon replaced by Donald's brother Lynford Manning, who had previously been a member of their brother Carlton Manning's group Carlton and The Shoes
.
"Satta Massagana" was first recorded for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in March 1969, but he decided against releasing it, seeing no commercial potential for what he saw as a song constituting cultural subversion. In 1971, the group purchased the master tapes from Dodd for 90 pounds and released it on their own Clinch label, the single becoming a massive success, prompting Dodd to release his own instrumental and deejay
versions. The group released further takes on the song on Clinch by Tommy McCook
, Big Youth
, and Dillinger
, as well as their own "Mabrak", featuring the group reciting passages from the Old Testament
. It has since been recorded by dozens of artists. The group's second release, "Declaration of Rights", featured Leroy Sibbles
on backing vocals, and like their first was a huge hit in Jamaica, (and subsequently in the international market) and has been covered several times since. Their 1973 single "Y Mas Gan" was similar to "Satta" in its use of Amharic.
The group continued to record throughout the 1970s for producers including Lloyd Daley
, Tommy Cowan
, and Geoffrey Chung
, and their debut album, Forward on to Zion was produced by Clive Hunt
and released in 1976. The follow-up, Arise (1978) was recorded under stressful conditions with internal rivalries threatening to break up the group, and after the album's release, Collins left the band, to be eventually replaced by Carlton Manning. This line-up performed at the 1979 Reggae Sunsplash
festival, but split up the following year.
Donald Manning had a brief solo career in the early 1980s, in which he recorded as Donald Abyssinian.
Bernard Collins launched his own version of the group in the late 1980s, with two versions of the group existing for a time. The original line-up reunited in 1998 and went on to record new material, including the singles "African Princess" and "Swing Low" and the album Reunion, although Collins was not involved in songwriting at this time. Collins left again in 1999 and released material as Bernard Collins & the Abyssinians, releasing an album the same year.
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...
n roots reggae
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
group, famous for their close harmonies and promotion 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...
in their lyrics.
History
The vocal trio was originally formed in 1968 by Bernard Collins and Donald Manning. Their first song was "Satta MassaganaSatta Massagana
Satta Massagana is a roots reggae album released by The Abyssinians officially in 1976. It is widely considered The Abyssinians crowning achievement and a classic roots reggae album....
", which was strongly influenced by Carlton Manning's "Happy Land". "Satta Massagana" is a Rastafarian hymn sung partly in the ancient Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n Amharic language. They recruited a third vocalist, who was still at school and often unable to attend rehearsals; He was soon replaced by Donald's brother Lynford Manning, who had previously been a member of their brother Carlton Manning's group Carlton and The Shoes
Carlton and The Shoes
Carlton and the Shoes are a Jamaican vocal group who had their greatest success in the late 1960s, as rocksteady gradually became reggae and are still active in 2008, most notably in Japan and Jamaica...
.
"Satta Massagana" was first recorded for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in March 1969, but he decided against releasing it, seeing no commercial potential for what he saw as a song constituting cultural subversion. In 1971, the group purchased the master tapes from Dodd for 90 pounds and released it on their own Clinch label, the single becoming a massive success, prompting Dodd to release his own instrumental and deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
versions. The group released further takes on the song on Clinch by Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One Studios in the 1970s.-Biography:McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in...
, Big Youth
Big Youth
Manley Augustus Buchanan , better known as Big Youth , is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s....
, and Dillinger
Dillinger (musician)
Dillinger is a reggae artist.-Biography:As a young man growing up in Kingston, Dillinger would hang around Dennis Alcapone's El Paso sound system...
, as well as their own "Mabrak", featuring the group reciting passages from the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
. It has since been recorded by dozens of artists. The group's second release, "Declaration of Rights", featured Leroy Sibbles
Leroy Sibbles
Leroy Sibbles is a Jamaican-Canadian reggae musician. He was the lead singer for The Heptones in the 1960s and 1970s.In addition to his work with The Heptones, Sibbles was a session bassist and arranger at Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd's Jamaica Recording and Publishing Studio and the associated Studio...
on backing vocals, and like their first was a huge hit in Jamaica, (and subsequently in the international market) and has been covered several times since. Their 1973 single "Y Mas Gan" was similar to "Satta" in its use of Amharic.
The group continued to record throughout the 1970s for producers including Lloyd Daley
Lloyd Daley
Lloyd Daley also known as Matador is a Jamaican electronic technician, sound system pioneer and reggae producer.-Career:...
, Tommy Cowan
Tommy Cowan
Tommy Cowan is a producer and singer, initially working in reggae but later concentrating on gospel, who has been involved in the music business since the 1960s...
, and Geoffrey Chung
Geoffrey Chung
Geoffrey Chung was a Jamaican musician, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:Chung was born in 1950 in Kingston, Jamaica...
, and their debut album, Forward on to Zion was produced by Clive Hunt
Clive Hunt
Clive Hunt is a Jamaican reggae multi-instrumentist, arranger, composer and producer.-Biography:...
and released in 1976. The follow-up, Arise (1978) was recorded under stressful conditions with internal rivalries threatening to break up the group, and after the album's release, Collins left the band, to be eventually replaced by Carlton Manning. This line-up performed at the 1979 Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash
Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival...
festival, but split up the following year.
Donald Manning had a brief solo career in the early 1980s, in which he recorded as Donald Abyssinian.
Bernard Collins launched his own version of the group in the late 1980s, with two versions of the group existing for a time. The original line-up reunited in 1998 and went on to record new material, including the singles "African Princess" and "Swing Low" and the album Reunion, although Collins was not involved in songwriting at this time. Collins left again in 1999 and released material as Bernard Collins & the Abyssinians, releasing an album the same year.
Studio albums
- 1976 : Satta MassaganaSatta MassaganaSatta Massagana is a roots reggae album released by The Abyssinians officially in 1976. It is widely considered The Abyssinians crowning achievement and a classic roots reggae album....
- Jam Sounds (reissued 1988 on Clinch, 1993, 2007 on HeartbeatHeartbeat RecordsHeartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington , Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood...
, also released as Satta and Forward on to Zion) - 1978 : Arise - Tuff GongTuff GongTuff Gong is a record label that was formed by the reggae group The Wailers in 1970 and named after Bob Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari movement, Leonard "The Gong" Howell. The first single on the label was "Run For Cover" by The Wailers...
/VirginVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
/Clinch - 1998 : Reunion - Artists Only
Compilations
- 1982 : ForwardForward (The Abyssinians album)-Track listing:#"Forward Jah" - 3:28#"Prophesy" - 3:24#"This Is Not the End" - 6:14#"Satta Massagana" - 3:26#"Mabrak" - 3:51#"Forward Onto Zion" - 3:49#"Praise Him" - 3:30#"Peculiar Number" - 3:48...
- AlligatorAlligator RecordsAlligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record... - 1994 : Best of the Abyssinians - Musidisc
- 1996 : 19.95 + TAX
- 1998 : Satta Dub - Tabou 1
- 1998 : Declaration of Dub - Heartbeat
- 1999 : Last Days - Clinch (credited to Bernard Collins)
- 2003 : Abyssinians & Friends Tree of Satta vol. 1 - Blood & Fire
External links
- Official Website
- Interviews, discography
- Complete discography
- The Abyssinians at Roots Archives