Carl Harvey
Encyclopedia
Carl Harvey is a Jamaica
n born guitarist
and record producer
who recorded as a member of Crack of Dawn and The Aggrovators
in the 1970s, and later became guitarist for Toots & the Maytals
.
, Canada
with his family at an early age. He began playing guitar aged 13 and also played the tuba
at school. Harvey was initially inspired by Jimi Hendrix
: "The first time I heard Purple Haze I knew that I wanted to get a sound from the guitar that I had never heard coming from a straight guitar amp setup. Another pivotal point came with the release of the Cream's "White Room" and Jimi's "Voodoo Child" (Slight Return) sealed it." Harvey joined the Toronto funk and soul band The Crack of Dawn, which was signed by Columbia Records
and had hits in Canada with "It's Alright" and "Keep the Faith" in 1976. In the mid-1970s, Harvey visited Jamaica regularly and recorded as a member of Bunny Lee
's house band The Aggrovators, playing on albums such as Kaya Dub, Jackie Mittoo
's In Cold Blood and King in the Arena, and also played guitar on Willi Williams
' Messenger Man. In 1978, he went into the studio with Lee to record several tracks where he played improvised guitar over some of Lee's classic rhythms. These were released in 1979 as the album Ecstasy of Mankind on the British label Cancer, without Harvey's knowledge. Harvey had returned to Canada, and was first told about the album by Mittoo, who had seen it for sale in London. Although the record was unavailable for many years, it was released by Rhino Records in 1994, who fraudulently sold it as a Lee "Scratch" Perry album, under the title Guitar Boogie Dub. The album was given a wider release, with correct title and credits, in 2005 by Makasound Records. In the 1980s, he became the lead guitarist of Toots & the Maytals, and has been with the band for over twenty-five years. He also toured with his own band, with Jackie Mittoo, and worked as a record producer
, producing four albums by Messenjah
(two of which were nominated for Juno Awards), and recordings by the Juno-winning Kim Richardson and Sway. Harvey released a second solo album, The Times, in 2005.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n born guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who recorded as a member of Crack of Dawn and The Aggrovators
The Aggrovators
The Aggrovators were a dub/reggae backing band in the 1970s & 1980s, and one of the main session bands of producer, Bunny Lee. The line-up varied, with Lee using the name for whichever set of musicians he was using at any time. The band's name derived from the record shop that Lee had run in the...
in the 1970s, and later became guitarist for Toots & the Maytals
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
.
Biography
Harvey was born in Jamaica and emigrated to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with his family at an early age. He began playing guitar aged 13 and also played the tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
at school. Harvey was initially inspired by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
: "The first time I heard Purple Haze I knew that I wanted to get a sound from the guitar that I had never heard coming from a straight guitar amp setup. Another pivotal point came with the release of the Cream's "White Room" and Jimi's "Voodoo Child" (Slight Return) sealed it." Harvey joined the Toronto funk and soul band The Crack of Dawn, which was signed by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and had hits in Canada with "It's Alright" and "Keep the Faith" in 1976. In the mid-1970s, Harvey visited Jamaica regularly and recorded as a member of Bunny Lee
Bunny Lee
Edward O'Sullivan Lee, better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee is a prominent, prolific and successful record producer best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
's house band The Aggrovators, playing on albums such as Kaya Dub, Jackie Mittoo
Jackie Mittoo
Jackie Mittoo was a Jamaican keyboardist, songwriter and musical director. He was a founding member of The Skatalites and was a mentor to many younger performers, primarily through his work as musical director for the Studio One record label.-Biography:He was born Donat Roy Mittoo in Browns Town,...
's In Cold Blood and King in the Arena, and also played guitar on Willi Williams
Willi Williams
Willi Williams is a Jamaican reggae and dub musician and producer. He is known as the "Armagideon Man" after his hit, "Armagideon Time", first recorded in 1978 at Studio One in Kingston. The song was covered by The Clash as the flipside of their "London Calling" single.-Biography:Williams was born...
' Messenger Man. In 1978, he went into the studio with Lee to record several tracks where he played improvised guitar over some of Lee's classic rhythms. These were released in 1979 as the album Ecstasy of Mankind on the British label Cancer, without Harvey's knowledge. Harvey had returned to Canada, and was first told about the album by Mittoo, who had seen it for sale in London. Although the record was unavailable for many years, it was released by Rhino Records in 1994, who fraudulently sold it as a Lee "Scratch" Perry album, under the title Guitar Boogie Dub. The album was given a wider release, with correct title and credits, in 2005 by Makasound Records. In the 1980s, he became the lead guitarist of Toots & the Maytals, and has been with the band for over twenty-five years. He also toured with his own band, with Jackie Mittoo, and worked as a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, producing four albums by Messenjah
Messenjah
Messenjah was a Canadian-based reggae group that flourished to become one of the most successful and popular reggae groups in the history of Canadian music.-History:...
(two of which were nominated for Juno Awards), and recordings by the Juno-winning Kim Richardson and Sway. Harvey released a second solo album, The Times, in 2005.
Solo discography
- Esctasy of Mankind (1979), Cancer
- The Times (2005), Carl Harvey (credited to Carl Harvey & Friends)