Edric Connor - De Ribber Ben Come Dung/Bamboo (1952)

"A Digging Song"
This, like many other Jamaican folk songs, was the inspiration for a verse in an early Wailers hit "Jumbie Jamboree".

Jamaican Folk/Calypso Singer Edric Connor
The Grandfather of Reggae music.
Trinidadian Edric Connor recorded several albums of folk music from the Caribbean. In 1952 (about the same time that the first mento 78s were released), Connor released the LP, Edric Connor and the Caribbeans: Songs from Jamaica on the Argo label. This is a seminal release in the history of recorded Jamaican music, as it contains the first recorded versions of a number of songs that would later appear in mento, ska, reggae and even American folk and pop. It's a safe bet that Harry Belafonte had a copy of this LP.

These are Jamaican folk music recordings, not mento. Connor's powerful voice is accompanied only by sparse piano and backing vocals. The liner notes by Hugh Paget make an earnest attempt to put these songs into the perspective of all Caribbean music. He finds (by 1952), that Trinidadian calypso is already commercialized by the tourist trade. Paget also attempts to explain some of the songs' meanings and defines some of the patios heard in the lyrics.

Edric Connor eventually moved to Great Britain and went on to become an actor. He combined both of his talents in the 1956 movie, Moby Dick, staring Gregory Peck. In it, he played Daggoo, a harpooner. In a memorable scene, as a party of whalers pursued their quarry in a small boat, he sang "Hill and Gully" to the rhythm of the rowing.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• jamaican
• folk
• music
• harry
• belafonte
• calypso
• reggae
• ska
• rocksteady
• trinidad
• early
• peter
• tosh
• byron
• lee
• studio
• one

[WhyNotTruth]

Thanks to Shortrax for helping me get this up. You can do it too using Windows Movie Maker, which is usually built in to Windows.

[numbuh124]

Edric is and always will be awesome!!

[micaofboca]

This guy's as good as Harry Belafonte.  It's a shame he didn't gain as much recognition as the great Belafonte. They both have incredible voices and the ability to delight music lovers. His rendition of Hill & Gully Rider in Moby Dick is one of the landmarks of American cinema. I also dug Harry Belafonte as a jazz vibes player in the movie Odds Against Tomorrow. Two great calypso artists.

[ferdydon400]

always respect the roots

[shortrax]

Bravo!