Prince Buster

Born May 24 1938, Kingston, Jamaica. Died September 8, 2016, Miami, Florida, USA. After following original selecter The Great Sebastian, he was hired by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd to help on his Down Beat sound system, eventually helping Dodd identify the singles that Duke Reid was importing for his rival system, and assisting production of his recordings. His first recording session in 1960 produced "Oh Carolina (opens in a new tab)", with vocals by the Folkes Brothers, and additional musical accompaniment from Count Ossie. It was inventive and innovative for the times, adding the niahbinghi element to popular Jamaican music. Campbell went on to establish his own Voice Of The People sound system, record label and shop (first at the 49 Charles Street, and after & forever at 127 Orange Street). Like his idol Mohamed Ali, he converted to Islam under the name Mohamed Yusuf Ali (he was an amateur boxer himself and met Cassius Clay in London, and was also invited to his home in Florida, where he was given a Chevrolet Impala, immortalized in a photo that can be seen in the album Complete Madness).
Buster produced countless records featuring either himself or virtually every top act of the time backed by Prince Buster's All Stars (initially Buster's Group), his blues/shuffle sounds being a huge contribution to the ska era, with many classics, first on his WildBells and Buster Wild Bells labels, followed by Prince Buster Voice Of The People, Soulsville Center, Islam, Olive Blossom Records, Prince Buster and Prince Buster Records Shack labels. They were concurrently released in the UK on Blue Beat, Fab and his own-named UK label, moving gradually into rocksteady and reggae. Prince Buster also enjoyed renewed success thanks to the respect bestowed upon him by ska revivalists, which saw him make a comeback virtually every decade, starting with the ska revival of 1979-80, when UK groups Madness, The Specials, The Beat, The Selecter and Bad Manners all paid tribute.