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Black Roots were a powerful and potent force in the British reggae music scene throughout the Eighties and left a legacy of no less than ten albums and more than eight singles before bowing out of the public eye in the mid-'90s. Hailing from the St Paul's area of Bristol, the eight-member band quickly gained a large following by touring almost non-stop around the country, playing the nation's major colleges, universities and festivals. They quickly attracted the attention of television (with an appearance on 'In Concert') and popular radio, where live studio sessions for John Peel and David 'Kid' Jensen, eventually led to a BBC Radio 1 sessions LP. Their first releases were on the Nubian Records label and an EP containing Bristol Rock, Tribal War, The Father and The System preceded their first single, Chanting For Freedom.
Their debut album, entitled simply Black Roots and released in 1983 on the Kick label, saw them make their mark immediately on the national music scene, with the black music press declaring, "a blinding debut album from the best of the new British reggae bands." It was a highly acclaimed debut for the group which consisted of Delroy Ogilvie, Cordell Francis, Errol Brown, Jabulani Ngozi, Trevor Seivwright, Kondwani Ngozi, Derrick King and Carlton 'Roots' Smith. Six of the band were Jamaican-born, while Smith and Seivwright hailed from Bath and Newport respectively. The Ngozi brothers were Rastafarians, as was lead vocalist Delroy Ogilvie, who shared the front spot with Errol Brown. The group's first single on the Kick label, Juvenile Delinquent, was taken from the album and released in the same year.
1984 was a momentous year for the group in terms of national exposure to a wider audience. They released their second album, The Frontline, which featured a series of melodic tracks, projecting the band's philosophy, 'one love for all, one aim and one destiny'. It also included the title track The Frontline, which had been composed at the request of BBC tv for a new television comedy series of the same name, based on the relationship between two black brothers, one a policeman, the other, a street-wise youth. Although the series was not a major success, it gave Black Roots an additional springboard and they followed that up a year later, with the release of their third album, In Session, a compilation of live recordings from sessions on both the John Peel and David Jensen radio shows.
The line-up of the band had remained constant from their earliest days. Ogilvie and Brown shared lead vocals, Francis played lead guitar, King on bass and the older Ngozi brother, Jabulani, played rhythm guitar. Seivwright on drums, Smith on keyboards/vocals and Kondwani Ngozi on congas and vocal harmonies completed the regular line-up that continued to gig across the country to adoring audiences. Album number four was released in 1987, under the direction of Neil Fraser, aka the Mad Professor. All Day All Night continued to confirm Black Roots' place at the top of the British reggae tree and it also spawned another single, Seeing Your Face. Helping out on the album was the horn section of Vin Gordon (trombone), Mike 'Bammie' Rose (tenor sax and flute) and Max Carrot (trumpet). In addition to the album, the band's record company, Nubian Records, also released a video of a live performance at The Studio in Bristol.
Neil Fraser was at it again, less than a year later when he engineered a truly live album, Live Power, when the band were recorded at a gig at the Moles Club in Bath on 22 September 1988. This came about as a direct result of fans of the band asking for a live album, seeking to capture the power and strength of Black Roots' tight, vibrant and entertaining stage performance on vinyl. The album was a mixture of old and new and a bridge between the past and the present and it contained the band's next two singles, Suzy Wong and Start Afresh.
For bookings and info contact Christian on 07967 306391 or e-mail blackroots@ntlworld.com
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Credits: Black Roots |
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