Dig Deeper is honored to present legendary Jamaican rocksteady stars Keith & Tex for a rare Brooklyn appearance backed by Crazy Baldhead and special guest Queen P on backing vocals. Crazy Baldhead will be opening the night with their own set!
Keith & Tex (Keith Rowe and Texas Dixon) actively recorded for just a few brief years in the late sixties in Kingston, Jamaica - but in that short window with producer Derrick Harriott, they created some of the iconic singles of soulful rocksteady, the bridge between the frenetic sounds of ska and the mellower vibe we've all come to know as reggae.
"Stop that train", their mellower take on the Spanishtonians' ska hit is instantly recognizable from the turn of the opening guitar lick, and has grown to be one of the best-known records of the rocksteady era, both on its own merits as well as from Scotty's "Draw your breaks" version that appeared on the immensely popular soundtrack to "The Harder They Come", in addition to being sampled by the Beastie Boys and Vanilla Ice, among others.
Since parting ways in 1970 – Keith moving to the US and Tex to Canada – Keith & Tex have reunited only a handful of times. It is high time that Brooklyn have the chance to hear "Stop that train", "Tonight", "This is my song", "Hypnotizing eyes", and many of their other singles, performed by the original masters of the rocksteady era.
Guest DJ Scratch Famous of Deadly Dragon Sound System joins residents DJ Honky and Mr. Robinson, spinning all original rocksteady, reggae, ska, and soul 45s.
LITTLEFIELD
622 Degraw Street
Brooklyn, NY
Doors @ 9PM
$20 - $25
TICKETS HERE
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Dig Deeper is honored to present Mr. Rocksteady himself, Ken Boothe – one of the most soulful voices of Jamaican music in a rare Brooklyn appearance, backed by local supergroup Crazy Baldhead, who will open the night with their own set.
Ken Boothe began his career in music in the early 1960s recording a number of duets with his neighbor Stranger Cole (whom many of you saw at Dig Deeper in 2011 also backed by Crazy Baldhead). Songs like "Artibella" and "Hush baby" helped provide the foundation of the driving rhythm of ska.
As the sound of Jamaica trended towards slower, more soulful rocksteady, Ken struck out on his own, recording the landmark LP "Mr. Rocksteady" with Coxsone Dodd – songs like "When I fall in love", "I don't want to see you cry", "Puppet on a string", and a scorching version of the Supremes hit "You keep me hangin' on" defining the sound of the era, and cementing Ken's place as a local hitmaker.
Through the late 60s and into the reggae era in the 70s he recorded an almost uncountable number of singles, 12"s, and albums which were immensely popular locally in Jamaica, but it was his cover of Bread's "Everything I own" that brought him international acclaim when it hit #1 in the singles chart in the UK. He remains one of the most prolific artists in the history of Jamaican music, continuing to record through to today. In 2003, the Jamaican government awarded him the Order of Distinction for his contributions to the country's music heritage.
Although his rocksteady and reggae hits have been cherished for years by fans of Jamaican music around the world – more recently his records like "Lonely teardrops" and "I've got you" have begun to receive attention from soul DJs as well, sending original pressings soaring in value.
Guest DJ's Deadly Dragon Sound System and Grace of Spades will join Dig Deeper residents Mr. Robinson and DJ Honky spinning soul and Jamaican 45s before and after the live sets.
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