The Pioneers
April 27th 2006 08:04
The Pioneers are one of my favourite Jamaican vocal groups. They tasted a fair amount of success both locally and in Europe and fantastically they are still playing today. The vocal group was of course very popular in Jamaica, with other groups including the Maytals, the Melodians, the Techniques and the Jamaicans to name just a few. With the talent in Jamaica in the mid to late sixties in wasn’t surprising that people passed through multiple groups. Vocal groups were also the beginnings of many a solo career such as John Holt of the Paragons.
The core of the Pioneers was and is Sydney Crook, Jackie Robinson and George Dekker. Others such as Glen Adams (The Heptones, The Upsetters) also sung with the group on some recordings. After recording in Jamaica with producers Joe Gibbs and Leslie Kong a number of hit songs, some of which made the UK charts on the Trojan Label, the Pioneers headed to the UK to base themselves there permanently.
This move to the UK wasn’t all that surprising. They’d toured the UK previously and reggae in the UK was becoming increasingly popular, supported by the youth subculture of skinheads. On reflection, one can really see why their sound would have been popular with skinheads, with an upbeat danceable style that included lyrics referencing the group’s support. One of their songs, Blam Blam Fever was redone as Reggae Fever with lyrics like, “You can know a skinhead, by the way he skins his head”. Skinhead went out of vogue for a while, but the Pioneers didn’t die the same death, bringing a range of influences into their show.
What can’t be passed over, despite its obvious pop sensibilities, is the fact they recorded Let Your Yeah Be Yeah by Jimmy Cliff, which went on the Harder They Come motion picture soundtrack. A fantastic movie and the Pioneers deserved to be a part of it. I like the song, but I’m sure many don’t.
Personally, I could listen to the Pioneers over and over. Their songs are predominantly great dancing tunes and the lyrics are meaning, catchy and say something about their surroundings. Favourite songs include, amongst others, Blam Blam Fever, Long Shot Kick de Bucket, Catch the Beat, Time Hard plus they do a great cover of Down at the Club.
For more info head over to The Pioneers Website
Why not bookmark this blog or add me to you RSS reader using this URL: http://www.reggae.net.au/rss/summary.xml
The core of the Pioneers was and is Sydney Crook, Jackie Robinson and George Dekker. Others such as Glen Adams (The Heptones, The Upsetters) also sung with the group on some recordings. After recording in Jamaica with producers Joe Gibbs and Leslie Kong a number of hit songs, some of which made the UK charts on the Trojan Label, the Pioneers headed to the UK to base themselves there permanently.
Photo from pioneersreggaegroup.com
What can’t be passed over, despite its obvious pop sensibilities, is the fact they recorded Let Your Yeah Be Yeah by Jimmy Cliff, which went on the Harder They Come motion picture soundtrack. A fantastic movie and the Pioneers deserved to be a part of it. I like the song, but I’m sure many don’t.
Personally, I could listen to the Pioneers over and over. Their songs are predominantly great dancing tunes and the lyrics are meaning, catchy and say something about their surroundings. Favourite songs include, amongst others, Blam Blam Fever, Long Shot Kick de Bucket, Catch the Beat, Time Hard plus they do a great cover of Down at the Club.
For more info head over to The Pioneers Website
Why not bookmark this blog or add me to you RSS reader using this URL: http://www.reggae.net.au/rss/summary.xml
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