Riddim

Answer / Never Let Go

1967 rocksteady source · recurring dancehall foundationStudio One · Kingston → dancehall versions
THE STORY

Before dancehall called it Answer, Slim Smith sang “Never Let Go” over the foundation at Studio One. The bassline survived the name change and became one of Jamaica’s most dependable riddims.

GO DEEPER

Slim Smith recorded “Never Let Go” for Studio One in 1967 over a Soul Vendors foundation with a heavy bass line and bright horn figure. The recording lived on long after the rocksteady moment that produced it. Years later, deejay Lone Ranger rode the foundation on “The Answer,” and that title became the name many listeners used for the riddim itself. Producers kept rebuilding it through analog and digital dancehall eras. The double name is useful history: one riddim can acquire a new public identity through the versions that bring it back.

rocksteady sourceAnswer name laterhorn + bass foundationStudio One reuse

Where the history is argued

  • “Never Let Go” and “Answer” are both used for this riddim family. The latter name reflects a later Lone Ranger version, not the title of the 1967 source recording.

How they stand with the others

Shared the riddimThe riddim’s dancehall name came later; the source recording is Slim Smith’s Studio One “Never Let Go.”

Its history demonstrates how riddim names can shift when a later version becomes the record audiences remember.

Listen

Never Let Go Slim Smith · 1967 YouTube
Studio One · Slim Smith “I’ll Never Let Go”Reggae Vibes · Never Let Go aka The Answer

People

Slim SmithThe Soul VendorsClement “Coxsone” DoddLone Ranger

Connected

Studio OneCame together · the original Coxsone cut DancehallShared the riddim · a rocksteady bassline becomes foundation Riddimthe foundation outlives its first title Versionnew cuts rename the memory

Sources

Jamaica Gleaner · Slim Smith, master of the falsetto jamaica-gleaner.comJamaican history identifying Smith’s Studio One “Never Let Go” among his 1966–67 solo recordings.
Reggae Vibes · Never Let Go aka The Answer Riddim reggae-vibes.comSpecialist history explaining how Lone Ranger’s later “The Answer” supplied the riddim’s widely used name.

Last checked 1 September 2026

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