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Formed in the rich tradition of harmony trios in 1976,
Culture quickly became a part of the vibrant, politically
charged Jamaican reggae scene of the day. Originally known
as the African Disciples, the line-up consisted of Joseph
Hill (lead vocals), Albert Walker (backing vocals) and
Kenneth Dayes (backing vocals). Hill was the only member of
the trio who had prior studio experience – having worked at
Coxsone Dodd’s legendary Studio One as a percussionist with
the Soul Defenders group in the early 1970’s. It was also at
Studio One that Hill first recorded as a vocalist.
Shortly after Culture came together, they began working with
the ‘Mighty Two’ – producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol
Thompson. While at Gibbs’ studio, the singers recorded a
series of powerful singles, many of which ended up on their
successful debut album ‘Two Sevens Clash’. This initial
release was hugely popular in both Jamaica and England. The
lyrics demonstrated Hill’s keen awareness of the connection
between Jamaica’s history and its current social climate.
While the songs may have been dealing with serious issues,
at the same time the group always recognized the value of a
catchy beat – a sensibility shared by U.K. punks at the
time. At once Culture became part of a wave of vocal groups
(including the Mighty Diamonds, Black Uhuru, the Meditations
and countless others) that ruled the reggae scene for a
brief while in the late 70’s.
After their
success with Gibbs, the group went on to make a string of
albums for producer Sonia Pottinger. Culture began working
with some of the premier musicians of the day including
Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar, Ansel Collins, Cedric Brooks
and the ever-present percussionist Sticky. Virgin Records
picked up the albums, and that added distribution enabled
Culture to gain an even larger following outside of Jamaica.
In recent months Virgin has begun re-issuing most of its
reggae catalog from the late 70’s, so once again these early
Culture albums are readily available.
In 1982 the three singers went their own ways. Joseph Hill
carried on using the Culture name, and recorded the ‘Lion
Rock’ album, which was released in the United States by
Heartbeat Records. For their part, Walker and Dayes recorded
a handful of songs on their own – a few of which turned up
on an album titled ‘Roots & Culture’.
In 1986 the original line-up reformed to record two highly
regarded albums – ‘Culture in Culture’ and ‘Culture at
Work’. These releases marked the beginning of a very busy
period for the group, including annual albums and countless
tours. The U.S. label Shanachie released a steady stream of
new and old Culture albums up to ’Wings Of A Dove’ in 1992.
In 1993 Kenneth Dayes left the group and was temporarily
replaced by the singer from Dub Mystic – who was their
backing band at the time. With Dub Mystic, Culture reached
new heights that included the release of two popular studio
albums (‘One Stone’ and ‘Trust Me’) and a live album
(‘Cultural Livity’).
Today, Culture consists of Hill, Walker and Telford Nelson.
After a lengthy career on his own, Nelson joined on harmony
vocals in 1999. In concert the group is currently backed by
the DC based band ‘Forces of Justice’. These accomplished
musicians have been behind Culture for three years, playing
several well-received tours in Europe, Africa and North
America.
Culture continues to be in demand in the studio as well. In
2000 the group recorded the album ‘Payday’, which was
followed by a much-praised dub album mixed by the renowned
engineer Scientist. In the same year a very cotemporary
sounding album called ‘Humble African’ appeared on VP
Records. With these new recordings, Joseph Hill continues to
demonstrate his ability to be both lyrically relevant, and
musically fresh.
While Culture has now been around for 25 years, Joseph Hill
and friends are showing no signs of slowing down. Hill has
lost none of his striking stage presence and fiery energy
over the years. The group has sustained their lengthy career
by being both true to their cultural roots, and at the same
time able to incorporate new sounds and ideas into their
mix. To their credit the group has never been content to be
a mere oldies act. Culture has proved to be one of the few
acts in reggae that can always be relied on – both on
record, and on stage. As reggae music goes, a Culture
concert is both a tribute to the past and a glimpse of the
future …. Not to mention a whole lot of fun!
2001, Jim Dooley
ALBUMS (in order of recording/release)
Two Sevens Clash (1977, Joe Gibbs, Shanachie)
Baldhead Bridge (1978, Joe Gibbs, Heartbeat)
More Culture (1981, Joe Gibbs)
Africa Stand Alone (1978, April Records)
Harder Than The Rest (1978, High Note, Virgin, Shanachie)
Culture In Dub (1978, LP – High Note, CD – Heartbeat)
Cumbolo – (1979, High Note, Virgin, Shanachie)
International Herb (1979, High Note, Virgin, Shanachie)
Trod On (1993, Heartbeat)
Lion Rock (1982, Cultural Foundation, Sonic Sounds,
Heartbeat)
Culture At Work (1986, Blue Mountain, Shanachie)
Culture In Culture (1986, Music Track, Heartbeat)
Nuff Crisis (1988, Blue Mountain, Shanachie)
Good Things (1989, RAS)
Three Sides To My Story (1991, Shanachie)
Wings Of A Dove (1992, Shanachie)
One Stone (1996, RAS)
Stoned – One Stone Dub (1997, RAS)
Trust Me (1997, RAS)
Cultural Livity – Live Culture (1998, RAS)
Payday (2000, RAS)
Humble African (2000, VP Records)
Scientist Dubs Culture Into A Parallel Universe (2000, RAS)
Live in Africa (2002, RAS)
http://www.cyberus.ca/~jdooley/culture/biography.htm |
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