Wolf & Leopards
Encyclopedia
Wolf and Leopards is a 1977 reggae
album by Dennis Brown
.
, with two of the key tracks, "Wolf and Leopards" and "Here I Come", co-produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry at his Black Ark
studio, along with another track "In Zion", which was omitted from the album. The rhythms for these had been recorded at Randy's studio, and they were voiced and mixed at the Black Ark. "Wolf and Leopards", which criticizes criminals who posed as Rastafari as cover for their activities, was co-written by Brown, Holness and Perry (mostly by Perry according to Holness, and it was credited to Perry on its Observer Records single release), "Here I Come" was, according to Holness, written by him when he was in his twenties, and Holness also sang harmony vocals on it. The tracks on this album were among the last that Brown recorded with Holness before moving on to work with Joe Gibbs
. The track was mixed by Errol Thompson. The remainder of the tracks were self-produced by Brown or by his DEB Music associate Castro Brown. The album was described in Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton's The Rough Guide to Reggae as "a benchmark album for the roots era".
.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
album by Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae...
.
Recording
Recorded between 1976 and 1977 and released on Brown's own DEB label in the UK and on the Weed Beat label in Jamaica, the album comprises ten tracks originally released on singles that concentrate on cultural themes and mark the transformation of Brown from child star to full-fledged Rastaman. Several of the tracks were produced by Winston "Niney" HolnessNiney the Observer
Winston Holness, better known as Niney the Observer , is a Jamaican record producer and singer who was a key figure in the creation of many classic reggae recordings dating from the 1970s and early 1980s....
, with two of the key tracks, "Wolf and Leopards" and "Here I Come", co-produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry at his Black Ark
Black Ark
The Black Ark was the recording studio of reggae and dub producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, built in 1973 and located behind his family's home in the Washington Gardens neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica...
studio, along with another track "In Zion", which was omitted from the album. The rhythms for these had been recorded at Randy's studio, and they were voiced and mixed at the Black Ark. "Wolf and Leopards", which criticizes criminals who posed as Rastafari as cover for their activities, was co-written by Brown, Holness and Perry (mostly by Perry according to Holness, and it was credited to Perry on its Observer Records single release), "Here I Come" was, according to Holness, written by him when he was in his twenties, and Holness also sang harmony vocals on it. The tracks on this album were among the last that Brown recorded with Holness before moving on to work with Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs (record producer)
Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
. The track was mixed by Errol Thompson. The remainder of the tracks were self-produced by Brown or by his DEB Music associate Castro Brown. The album was described in Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton's The Rough Guide to Reggae as "a benchmark album for the roots era".
Release history
The album was first issued on Brown's DEB label in the UK and on Weed Beat in Jamaica. It was later issued on the Joe Gibbs and Blue Moon labels, and was released in expanded CD form in 2006 by VP RecordsVP Records
VP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:...
.
Track listing
Personnel
- Dennis Brown - vocals
- Sly DunbarSly DunbarLowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
- drums - Dean FraserDean FraserDean Fraser is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Musgrave Medal by the Jamaican government in 1993 in recognition of his services to music.-Biography:Fraser started to play the clarinet at the age of 12...
- saxophone - Willie Lindo - guitar
- David Madden - trumpet
- Ronald "Nambo" Robinson - trombone
- Lloyd ParksLloyd ParksLloyd Parks is a reggae vocalist and bass player.-Biography:Parks' interest in music was fuelled by his uncle Dourie Bryan, who played in a calypso band, and Parks became the band's singer...
- bass - Errol Thompson - engineer
- Franklyn "Bubbler" Waul - piano
- Winston Wright - organ
- Nigel Molden - Executive Producer
External links
- Wolf and Leopards, Roots Archives – Wolf & Leopards }}