| Tenor Saw | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Clive Bright |
| Born | February 11, 1966, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | August 1988, Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Reggae, dancehall |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, singjay |
| Years active | 1980s |
Tenor Saw (born Clive Bright, Kingston, Jamaica, February 11, 1966, died August 1988, Houston, Texas, United States) was a prominent dancehall singer in the 1980s, and one of the most influential singers of the early digital reggae era. His best-known song was the 1985 hit "Ring the Alarm" on the "Stalag 17" riddim.
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Bright was raised in the Payne Avenue district of West Kingston. His first single, "Roll Call" was recorded in 1984 for George Phang's Powerhouse label, on the "Queen Majesty" rhythm.[1][2] He moved on, with his friend Nitty Gritty, to work with Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion sound system and Black Roots Records label, having hits in Jamaica with "Lots of Sign", "Pumpkin Belly", "Run Come Call Me", and "Fever".[1][2] His most successful single, however, was "Ring the Alarm", voiced over the "Stalag" rhythm for Winston Riley's Techniques label.[1] The singles' success saw Tenor Saw work with Prince Jammy, recording "Pumpkin Belly" on Jammy's (then) new "Sleng Teng" rhythm.[2] Further hits followed in 1986 with "Golden Hen" (on the Uptempo label), and Minott issued Tenor Saw's debut album, Fever, that year.[1] In common with most dancehall albums of the period, most of the rhythms were digital copies of older tunes from the 1960s and 1970s, usually produced originally by Coxsone Dodd or Duke Reid. Thus, "Shirley Jones" versions Keith "Slim" Smith's "Rougher Yet", and "Eeni Meeni Mini Mo" versions "Real Rock" from Studio One, while "Roll Call" versions The Techniques' "Queen Majesty" from Duke Reid, while "Lots of Sign" versions "Tonight" by Keith & Tex, produced by Derrick Harriott.
By the time the album was released, Tenor Saw had relocated to Miami, joining the Skengdon crew, where he recorded "Dancehall Feeling" and "Bad Boys". He recorded "No Work On a Sunday" for Donovan Germain, before moving to New York, where he recorded with Freddie McGregor ("Victory Train"). His last recording, "Chill Out Chill Out", was a duet with General Doggie.
In August 1988 he was killed by a speeding car in Houston, Texas.[3] He died at 22 years of age. Tenor Saw is regarded as one of the most influential singers of the early digital reggae era of the mid-1980s.[1]
Tenor Saw's friends and colleagues Nitty Gritty ("Who Killed Tenor Saw?") and King Kong both recorded tributes the year after his death.[2]
Sublime's song "Jailhouse" on their self titled album is a mix of "Roll Call" and The Wailers "Jailhouse" with some of Bradley Nowell's Lyrics.
Supercat's song "Nuff man a Dead" is about the death of Tenor Saw and other superstars of the time.[4]
311 samples Tenor Saw's "Ring the Alarm" in their song "Prisoner" from their Transistor album.
The guitar riff at the beginning of Sublime's song "Greatest Hits" is the same as the one at the end of Tenor Saw's song "Golden Hen" which is in itself a version of the Junjo Lawes' riddim Diseases.
The rap group Fu Schnickens also did a version of "Ring The Alarm" [1]
The song "Fell, Destroyed" by Fugazi includes the line "Ring the alarm or you're sold to dying" and the lyric sheet included with the album pays "respects to Tenor Saw."
Beyonce Knowles based a performance around Tenor Saw's "Ring The Alarm". The performance was part of The Beyonce Experience. Performed in 2007 LA the song had millions of views on YouTube and was seen as a highly influential artist in today's media being influenced a genre which is different to her own
German rap group Dynamite Deluxe produced a track called 'Lots of Sign', with guest-appearance Patrice singing the hookline taken of the same titled Tenor Saw song.
HipHop-Crew Lifesavas from Portland use the melody and lyrics of "Fever" for their same titled song. Song is on the "Spirit in stone"-LP, released 2003.
Independent rap artist, Brother Ali samples Tenor Saw's "Ring the Alarm" in his song "Champion" from his album "Shadows on the Sun".
Brooklyn MC, Mos Def, references "Ring the Alarm" in his single "Universal Magnetic".
Big Audio Dynamite's "Rewind," from their Megatop Phoenix album, quotes "Ring the Alarm."