Name: Jamaican Soul
Brand: Pat Kelly

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

KSCD022

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

18 Tracks.

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Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2019-10-11

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5060135760465

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Pat Kelly

Genre GB

Reggae / Dub

Label GB

Kingston Sounds

Pat Kelly was a Jamaican reggae singer and producer. Born in Kingston, Jamaica in either 1943, 1944, or 1949 (according to different sources), he rose to fame as the lead singer of The Techniques in 1966, replacing Slim Smith. In 1969, he embarked on a successful solo career. Alongside his music endeavors, Pat Kelly also worked as a sound engineer for various artists including Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in the 1970s.

With his soulful voice and captivating performances, Pat Kelly became an influential figure in the reggae genre. His contributions to music extended beyond his own recordings as he played a vital role behind the scenes as well. As a sound engineer for notable artists such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, Pat Kelly helped shape the iconic sound that defined Jamaican reggae during that era.

Influenced by fellow Jamaican artists like Slim Smith and Derrick Harriott, Pat Kelly's music resonated with audiences worldwide. His smooth vocals combined with heartfelt lyrics made him a beloved artist among reggae enthusiasts. If you enjoy listening to The Jamaicans, The Kingstonians, or other talented performers from this era of reggae music, then you will definitely appreciate the timeless artistry of Pat Kelly.

Pat Kelly possesses one of the great soul voices to come out of Jamaica. Influenced by the fantastic american singer Sam Cook, Pat Kelly could ride over any tune that came his way and with his outstanding falsetto voice always added a little magic to each recording. Pat Kelly (born 1949, Kingston, Jamaica) began his singing career in 1967 when he replaced Smith as lead singer of the Techniques, his voice working so well with the impeccable harmonies of Winston Riley and Bruce Ruffin. Their first hit for the mighty Duke Reid stable was a version of Curtis Mayfield's tune You'll Want me Back retitled You Don't Care which held the number 1 position in Jamaica for six weeks. Their next hit was another Curtis Mayfield cover of the Impressions Minstrel and Queen again retitled for the Jamaican market as Queen Minstrel. Further hits followed with such cuts as My Girl and Love is not a Gamble before in 1968 Kelly decided to become a solo artist and hooked up with producer Bunny Lee. Bunny decided not to break the tried and tested formula and put Kelly on another Curtis Mayfield track Little Boy Blue a style that suited his voice so well. This paid dividends and was followed with How Long (Will I Love You) which gave them the biggest selling Jamaican hit of 1969. A track which broke the mould in that often used tradition where Jamaican tracks are sweetened for the foreign markets by adding string arrangements. This was reversed on this occasion as the tune had already been released in the UK and dubbed over with strings so came back to the Jamaican shores and released there.

Another string to Pat Kelly's bow was his engineering skills. Having already spent a year in America studying electronics he put this to good use and became little known to many one of the chief engineers at Channel 1 studios in the late 1970's and early 1980's. For this release Kingston Sounds have focused on the fabulous singing skills of mr Kelly and have compiled some of his finest recording moments for your listening pleasure. The aforementioned timeless cuts to How Long (Will I Love You), Little Boy Blue alongside some other killer lost classics, as the set opener It's a Good Day, Somebody's Baby, Give Love a Try and I'm in the Mood for Love. His version of Twelfth of Never in a rocksteady style sounds as good now as it did then. Also included his interpretation of the James Carr soul hit Dark End of the Street which has Pat Kelly working over the same rhythm as How Long but giving it a different slant with these fresh lyrics. A fine set from one of the islands finest, Jamaican soul indeed.

Jamaican Soul

Music GB