The Cimarons

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The Cimarons
Origin London, England
Genres Reggae
Years active 1967 - present
Labels Trojan
Polydor
Virgin
Associated acts Matumbi
Past members Sonny Binns
Franklyn Dunn
Locksley Gichie
Winston Reid (Reedy)
Lloyd 'Jah Bunny' Donaldson
Maurice Ellis
Carl Levy

The Cimarons were a UK reggae band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band.[1][2]

History

Jamaican natives, the Cimarons migrated to Britain in 1967 with a lineup consisting of Franklyn Dunn (bass), Carl Levy (keyboards), Locksley Gichie (guitar), and Maurice Ellis (drums); vocalist, Winston Reid (better known as Winston Reedy) joined in London. They were primarily session musicians in Jamaica, and backed many artists, including Jimmy Cliff. Their first LP In Time, on Trojan Records in 1974 featured a rendition of the O'Jays' "Ship Ahoy", "Utopian Feeling", "Over The Rainbow," and "My Blue Heaven". Critics considered it poppy and lightweight. Vulcan Records released On The Rock two years later. While a more 'rootsy' reggae album, it performed as poorly in the charts as their previous release. They switched to Polydor Records, releasing Live At The Roundhouse in 1978 which displayed the group's harmonious sound without revealing their introverted stage presence. Polydor released Maka the same year. It is considered their finest recording, and for the first time, they produced and wrote all the tracks on the album. Three more albums followed: Freedom Street, Reggaebility, and On The Rock Part 2. After the last of these, in 1983, they didn't surface again until 1995 when Lagoon Records released People Say, and Reggae Time, both compilations of earlier albums, followed by The Best Of The Cimarons, released in 1999 on Culture Press.

Reedy and Dunn continue to perform as The Cimarons.

Discography

Singles

  • "Funky Fight" (1970) Big Shot
  • "Oh Mammy Blue" (1971) Downtown
  • "Holy Christmas" (1971) Downtown
  • "Struggling Man" (1972) Horse (split 7" with The Prophets)
  • "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron" (1973) Mooncrest (as Hotshots) UK #4
  • "Talking Blues" (#1 in Jamaica)[2]
  • "Check Out Yourself" Trojan
  • "You Can Get It If You Really Want" Trojan
  • "Dim The Light" (1976) Trojan
  • "Over The Rainbow" Trojan
  • "Harder Than The Rock" (1978) Polydor
  • "Mother Earth" (1978) Polydor
  • "Rock Against Racism"/"Truly" (197?) Polydor
  • "Willin'" (197?) Polydor
  • "Ready For Love" (1981) Charisma
  • "With a Little Luck" (1982) IMP
  • "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1982) Safari
  • "How Can I Prove Myself To You" (1982)
  • "Be My Guest Tonight" (1995)
  • "Time Passage" Fontana

The Cimarons also backed several singers on Trojan singles, often credited on the b-side with an instrumental version of the a-side.

Albums

  • In Time (1974) Trojan
  • On The Rock (1976) Vulcan
  • Maka (1978) Polydor
  • Live (1978) Polydor
  • Freedom Street (1980) Virgin
  • Reggaebility (1982) Hallmark
  • On De Rock part 2 (1983) Butt (recorded 1976)
  • People Say (1991) Lagoon (compilation, recorded 1974-76)
  • Reggae Time Lagoon (compilation)
  • The Best of The Cimarons (1992) Culture Press (compilation)
  • Maroon Land (2001) Rhino (compilation)
  • Reggae Best (2004) Culture Press (compilation)
  • Reggae Masters Creon

References

  1. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0242-9. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barrow, Steve; Dalton, Peter (1997). Reggae: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-85828-247-0. 
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