Cecil Bustamente Campbell OD (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. He was regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary music and created a legacy of work that later reggae and ska artists would draw upon. [...]
The UK ska revival at the end of the 1970s that started with the 2-Tone label from Coventry introduced Campbell's music to a new generation of listeners. In 1979 the band Madness released their first single on 2-Tone, a tribute to Campbell called "The Prince". The B-side was a cover of the Campbell song "Madness" from which they took their name. Their second single, released on the Stiff label ("The Prince" would be the only single released by Madness on the 2-Tone label), was a cover of Campbell's "One Step Beyond", which reached the UK Top 10. On their self-titled debut album, the Specials covered "Too Hot" and borrowed elements from Campbell's "Judge Dread" (in the song "Stupid Marriage") and "Al Capone" (in the song "Gangsters"). The Specials also included a cover of "Enjoy Yourself" on their second album More Specials. The Beat covered "Rough Rider" and "Whine & Grine" on their album I Just Can't Stop It.
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Links to Peel[]
Prince Buster - al capone
Peel is not known to have played Prince Buster on his Radio One shows before 1979 and the UK ska revival based on bands such as Specials, Madness and the Beat, who saw Prince Buster as a huge influence and covered his old songs. In the second half of the year, with 2-Tone bands exploding in popularity across the UK, supported strongly by Peel, the DJ found himself playing numerous vintage tracks by the ska pioneer for a new generation of listeners.
Prince Buster first hit the UK singles charts in 1967 with 'Al Capone,'[1] and it is possible that Peel played the record on the pirate station Radio London, which included ska, blue-beat and reggae records in its daytime playlists, when he covered for other DJs during the day, although he did not play such material on his own late-night Perfumed Garden show.[1] In 1979, the Specials would revamp the song for their debut single, 'Gangsters'.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
- None
Other Shows Played[]
- 1979
- 19 July 1979: Al Capone (Single) Blue Beat
- 30 July 1979: Madness (12" Disco 45)
- 02 August 1979: Madness
- 13 August 1979: Shakin’ Up Orange Street (12” single) Blue Beat
- 14 August 1979: Ride A Donkey (12” single) BlueBeat
- 20 August 1979: Take It Easy
- 29 August 1979: Ride A Donkey (12 inch single) Blue Beat
- 25 September 1979: Too Hot (LP – Fabulous Greatest Hits) Melodisc/Fab
- 27 September 1979: (JP: "This next one's for Madness and particularly to the fellow who does all the dancing with then, because their two appearances on Top Of The Pops in recent weeks have given me more pleasure than almost anything. I say almost anything...")
- Freezing Up Orange Street (LP - Fabulous Greatest Hits) Fab - 29 September 1979 (BFBS): Madness (LP - I Feel The Spirit) Blue Beat
- 03 October 1979: Judge Dread (Judge Four Hundred Years) (7") Blue Beat
- 11 October 1979: Time Will Tell (single, 1964) Blue Beat
- 25 October 1979: Texas Hold-Up
- 01 November 1979: It's Burke's Law (12") Blue Beat
- 15 November 1979: Barrister Pardon (12") Blue Beat
- 21 November 1979: Judge Dread (12") Blue Beat
- 11 December 1979: Whine & Grine (12” single) Blue Beat
- Later
- 08 April 1980: Tie The Donkey's Tail (7" b-side Let Her Go) FAB
- 19 February 1981 (BFBS): Madness
- 04 August 1981: Whine And Grine (12" - Naughty But Nice) Blue Beat
- 30 August 1982: Whine And Grine (7") Fab
- 13 October 1982: Dance Cleopatra (?) Bluebeat
- 19 December 1982 (BFBS): Don't Throw Stones (7") Blue Beat 45/BB 343
- 02 November 1988: Scorcher (unknown release)
- 08 October 1993: Doctor Rodney () Fab
Covered[]
(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)
Artist | Track | First Known Play
- Beat: Rough Rider (14 May 1980)
- Beat: Whine And Grine (08 May 1980)
- Madness: Madness (06 August 1979)
- Madness: One Step Beyond (22 October 1979)
- Specials: Enjoy Yourself (15 September 1980)
- Specials: Too Hot (20 November 1979)
References[]
- ↑ On the existing fragment of Peel hosting a daytime show on 01 July 1967, the ad for the station's "Holidays with DJs" venture includes an interview with a local DJ, who mentions "Al Capone"'s popularity with the dancers at the holiday resort concerned