ALTON ELLISReggae star Alton Ellis, who pioneered the "rocksteady" sound, died on 10 October, 2008, aged 70.Known as the "Godfather of Rocksteady," thesinger/songwriter made his name with a string of hits in the early days of reggae in Jamaica in the 1960s.He was to enjoy a return to popularity when his brand of music became popular again decades later.Ellis was born on 1 September, 1938 in Kingston’s Trench Town district in Jamaica to a musical family. Initially he wanted to be a dancer but switched to singing after winning some competitions.His first big hit was Muriel, recorded with Eddy Perkins, after they formed a duo, Alton & Eddy, in 1959.Over the next decade he was to notch up more hits, teaming up with the vocal group The Flames. His brother Leslie was in the line-up and their most popular songs included Girl I've Got a Date, Cry Tough and Get Ready - Rock Steady – the first song to refer to the new style of music coming out of Jamaica in the mid ‘60s.As its name implied, rocksteady music had a slower, more relaxed tempo. Dances performed to this new style were less energetic than its precursor ska owing to a particularly hot summer in Jamaica which hampered the outdoor dances.Ellis’ 1967 album, Mr Soul of Jamaica, is regarded as one of the definitive rocksteady albums andhis other top-selling singles included I'm Still In Love, Dance Crasher and I'm Just A Guy.In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.His manager and agent Trish De Rosa, of Roots-Rockers Promotions, said he was a prolific artist and a key figure in the history of Jamaican music."He has been my guiding star and my inspiration from the moment I met him," she said. "His life was the music and the stage."He was getting a tremendous amount of work right up to the end - it was very difficult to get him to slow down. He wanted to do as much as he could and leave a strong legacy."Jamaican reggae singer Delroy Williams, who had been friends with Ellis and worked with him since the 1960s, described his voice as "the sweetest in the reggae world".Hepassed away peacefullyat Hammersmith Hospital in west London after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2007. He was survived by his wife and more than 20 children.
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