Alton Ellis
The great voice of rocksteady’s emotional turn. Alton Ellis could sing romance with velvet control and answer rude-boy violence with “Dance Crasher,” helping the new slower music find both conscience and soul.
Alton Ellis began in Jamaica’s R&B and ska era before becoming the singer most closely identified with rocksteady. Records such as “Girl I’ve Got a Date,” “Cry Tough,” “Breaking Up” and “I’m Still in Love With You” matched a warmer, slower rhythm with a lead voice equally capable of tenderness and warning. He worked with Duke Reid, Coxsone Dodd and other producers, moving between Treasure Isle and Studio One as the Jamaican beat changed. Calling him the “Godfather of Rocksteady” recognizes his central role without making him the lone inventor of a shift created by musicians, singers, producers and dancers together.