Dr Alimantado (born Winston James Thompson; 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica), also known as The Ital Surgeon, is a Jamaican reggae singer, DJ, and producer. He mainly met success in the mid to late 1970s, with his best-known album being Best Dressed Chicken in Town (1978), a Greensleeves Records collection of tracks recorded in the mid-1970s, featuring Alimantado toasting over singers such as John Holt, Gregory Isaacs, Jackie Edwards and Horace Andy. His tunes mixed his Rastafari movement beliefs with commentary on events then going on in his community.
Alimantado became popular with punk rockers in the 1970s following Johnny Rotten praising him in an interview. He was mentioned in the 1979 song "Rudie Can't Fail" by The Clash in the line "Like the doctor who was born for a purpose". He recorded "Born for a Purpose" in 1977 at Channel One. One of Alimantado's biggest hits (along with "A Place Called Africa"), "Born for a Purpose" was originally released on his Vital Food label, and told of his Rastafarian faith supporting him after bus driver had driven into him in Kingston on 26 December 1976, causing serious injuries.
Following the success of Best Dressed Chicken and its follow-up compilation Sons of Thunder he signed to Virgin Records as a singer. While not without vocal talent, his singing records never captured the public imagination to the extent that his "toasting" records did.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
Links to Peel[]
Born for a Purpose-reason for Living
Peel is known to have played at least six tracks from the Best Dressed Chicken In Town collection over two shows on its release in autumn 1978. The album was the first to be put out by Greensleeves Records, which quickly emerged as Britain's leading reggae label of the era, with artists including Peel favourites Capital Letters.[1] [2]
Dr Alimantado had become well known among UK music fans after Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols played "Born For A Purpose" during an interview with Tommy Vance on Capital Radio in 1977.[3]
In later years, Peel occasionally played vintage tracks by Dr Alimantado, but the musician was unable to build on his breakthrough in the punk era. In the early years of the new century, the DJ performed a live set at a Dr Alimantado gig in Edinburgh.
After Peel's death, DJ and filmaker Don Letts selected "Born For A Purpose" from Peel's Record Collection for an online series of Record Boxes drawn from JP's records. In a related film, Letts praised the song's "classic lyrics".[4]
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
- None
Other Shows Played[]
- 1977
- 1977 (& Raphael Green): 'Rasta Train' (Upsetters Disco Jam 1977) on 27 June 1977 tape but not from this show
- 1978
- 13 January 1978 (& Rebels): Born For A Purpose (7") Greensleeves GRE 002
- 03 February 1978: When She Need The Natty (7") Isda
- 02 October 1978: Best Dressed Chicken In Town (album - Best Dressed Chicken In Town) Greensleeves GREL 1
- 02 October 1978: Just The Other Day (album - Best Dressed Chicken In Town) Greensleeves GREL 1
- 02 October 1978: Poison Flour (album - Best Dressed Chicken In Town) Greensleeves GREL 1
- 04 October 1978: Ride On (album - Best Dressed Chicken In Town) Greensleeves GREL 1
- 04 October 1978: Plead I Cause (album - Best Dressed Chicken In Town) Greensleeves GREL 1
- 04 October 1978: I Shall Fear No Evil (album - Best Dressed Chicken In Town) Greensleeves GREL 1
- 1979
- 11 April 1979: Born For A Purpose (12" - Born For A Purpose / Reason For Living) Greensleeves
- 1981
- 18 August 1981: Born For A Purpose (album - Sons Of Thunder) Greensleeves GREL 22
- 1983
- 19 December 1983: Born For A Purpose (7") Greensleeves
- 1990s
- 26 February 1994: Chant To Jah (v/a CD -If Deejay Was Your Trade (The Dreads At King Tubby’s 1974-1977) Blood & Fire
- 04 March 1994: Mash It Up (v/a CD - If Deejay Was Your Trade (The Dreads At King Tubby’s 1974-1977)) Blood & Fire
- 16 December 1997: Best Dressed Chicken In Town (album - Best Dressed Chicken In Town) Greensleeves GREL 1
- 2004
- 29 April 2004: (Peel is playing a live set in Edinburgh on the Saturday (2004-05-01), with Dr Alimantado also on the bill: "The people have said would I mind doing a reggae set, which I can't do I'm afraid. All I can do is do what I normally do.")