Jamaican folk music recordings separate from mento began in the early 1950s with a pair of very influential LPs released outside of Jamaica: Edric Connor's  "Songs from Jamaica" and Louise Bennett's "Jamaican Folk Songs". Though influential, Connor's LP would be his last recording of Jamaican music. On the other hand, Louise Bennett's contribution to Jamaican culture would span the decades and multiple mediums. In the late 1950s through the early 1970s,  The Jamaican Folk Singers and The Frats Quintet  carried the torch and produced LPs of Jamaican folk songs. A variety of others would follow.

Video About the Relationship Between Mento and Jamaican Folk

The indistinct line between Jamaican folk music and mento is just one of the topics discussed in the Caribbean Crucible  episode of the 1984 BBC series, "Repercussions". The role of Jamaican folk music in everyday life is also explored by Louise Bennett and others, along with demonstrations of a number of well known folk songs. A fine performance of "Linstead Market" by The T. Miller Band is also included. Fiddle player Theodore Miller's group is a fiddle driven mento band from St. Elizabeth. (Nine years later, Miller appeared on a release by The Lititz Mento Group.) This performance is interesting, as it's rural mento in its most natural form: free of any constraints that could be imposed either by performing for tourists or the need to sell records. Instead, it's jamming mento for performed live for the townspeople.  Additionally, the clip has a fife rendition of "Wheel and Turn Me".

These scenes have been assembled into a 8.5 minute clip that can be downloaded below.

Edric Connor

Trinidadian Edric Connor recorded several albums of folk music from the Caribbean. In 1952 (about the same time that the first mento 78s were released), Connor released the LP, Edric Connor and the Caribbeans: Songs from Jamaica on the Argo label. This is a seminal release in the history of recorded Jamaican music, as it contains the first recorded versions of a number of songs that would later appear in mento, ska, reggae and even American folk and pop. It's a safe bet that Harry Belafonte had a copy of this LP.

These are Jamaican folk music recordings, not mento. Connor's powerful voice is accompanied only by sparse piano and backing vocals. The liner notes by Hugh Paget make an earnest attempt to put these songs into the perspective of all Caribbean music. He finds (by 1952), that Trinidadian calypso is already commercialized by the tourist trade. Paget also attempts to explain some of the songs' meanings and defines some of the patios heard in the lyrics. The liner notes also reveal that Louise Bennett was involved in the LPs repertoire. 

Because it's out of print, below are clips from this Edric Connor's "Songs From Jamaica" release of songs that have been covered by other artists. Thanks to Olivier Albot of France for the cover scans and the clip of "Hold Yuh Hand".
[Click here for notes About the Audio Clips On this Site.]

Chi-Chi Bud O
Cudelia Brown
Day De Light (a. k. a.: "Day O")
De Ribber Ben Come Dung [version 1][version 2] (a. k. a.: "Bamboo")
Fan Me Solja Man
Hill and Gully
Hold Yuh Hand
Judy Drownded
Linstead Market
Mattie Walla Lef (a. k. a.: "Matty Roll")
Missa Ramgoat
Nobody's Business
One Solja Man (a. k. a.: "Wheel and Turn Me")
Rookoombine
Sammy Dead
Wata Come To Me Eye (a. k. a.: "Come Back Liza")

To the right is a re-release of Edric Connor's "Songs From Jamaica" from 1956 on the NYC-based Westminster label. (A larger image is not available.) The liner notes on the back cover are carried over from the original, as seen above.

Edric Connor eventually moved to Great Britain and went on to become an actor. He combined both of his talents in the 1956 movie, Moby Dick, staring Gregory Peck. In it, he played Daggoo, a harpooner. In a memorable scene, as a party of whalers pursued  their quarry in a small boat, he sang "Hill and Gully" to the rhythm of the rowing. 

For more on this LP and Edric Connor, visit the Quentin Kean's "Folkcatalogue's Blog" at: http://folkcatalogue.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/songs-from-jamaica-edric-connor-with-the-caribbeans/.

Louise Bennett

The beloved Louise Bennett, or Miss Lou, as she is affectionately  called, is Jamaica's foremost folklorist. In the 1940s, she published 5 books of poetry in patios. More than just a Jamaican folk music recording artist, she was a champion of this music. On Jamaican Independence Day 2001, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Merit (OM) for her contribution to the development of Jamaican arts and culture. Miss Lou passed on July 26 of 2006 at the age of 86. Below is an obituary from the Jamaica Information Service. This article describes her many accomplishments  outside of her recording career, a description of which appears thereafter.

Jamaica's beloved cultural icon, the Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou), has died. She was 86 years old.

Miss Lou passed away today at the Scarborough Grace Hospital in Toronto, Canada, after collapsing at home early this morning.

Born in Kingston on September 7, 1919, Miss Lou is Jamaica's premier folklorist, poet, entertainer and comedienne. As a cultural giant, she made Jamaica's patois an accepted language through her poems.

Famous for her radio shows which included 'Laugh with Louise', 'Miss Lou's Views' and 'The Lou and Ranny Show', she was also celebrated for her television show 'Ring Ding,' which was popular among Jamaican children all across the island.

Jamaica's Consul General to Toronto, Anne-Marie Bonner, expressed sadness and regret at the untimely death of Jamaica's Ambassador of Culture.

"Miss Lou was a true leader. Through her courage, she gave a nation a language and a voice with which its people can express its culture. It was not an easy task in those days to challenge the status quo in such a profound way, but this 'tallawah' woman did it. She has contributed to our culture through folklore and acting," she added.

The Consul General called Miss Lou an outstanding daughter of Jamaica, who was loved and respected all over the world and particularly in Canada, her adopted home, where she resided for more than a decade.

She visited the island in 2003, where she was special guest of the government for Emancipation and Independence celebrations.

"Jamaicans everywhere salute Miss Lou for a life well lived. Walk good, Miss Lou," the Consul General said.
Miss Lou received many accolades and awards during her lifetime, including the Order of Merit in 2001; the Order of Jamaica in 1974; the Norman Manley Award for Excellence (in the field of Arts); the Institute of Jamaica's Musgrave Silver and Gold Medals for distinguished eminence in the field of Arts and Culture, and in 1983 the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies.

The cultural icon was slated to add to her numerous awards in a ceremony at the Jamaican Consulate this evening. She would have been presented with the 2006 Jamaica Independence Award Hall of Fame from the West Indian-American Association of New Jersey. Several members of the association were enroute to Toronto from the United States, when Miss Lou passed away.

Miss Lou, who was predeceased by her late husband impresario Eric "Chalktalk" Coverley, is survived by son Fabian and many "adopted" children. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

In 2008, The Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA), celebrated its fifth anniversary on Friday with the first induction for the Jamaica Music Hall of Fame. Louise Bennett was an inaugural honoree, along such stellar company as Bob Marley and the original vocal Wailers, Lord Flea, Count Ossie, Sister Mary Ignatius Davies, Vere Johns, Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid, Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Tommy McCook and "Jah Jerry" Hinds.

In 1954, Louise recorded "Jamaican Folk Songs", an LP on the Folkways label [F-6846]. This release (along with others by Louise Bennett) is still available today on CDR or cassette via mail order from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings at http://www.folkways.si.edu/. As seen to the right, the CDR comes with a black and white Xerox of the original LP jacket, but courtesy, again, of Olivier Albot, a cover scan from the original LP, as well as an alternate jacket from a 10" release can be seen below. "Jamaican Folk Songs" has a number of things in common with Edric Connor's  "Songs from Jamaica ", aside from collecting a number of Jamaica's folk songs. Both albums contain many songs that are part of the mento repertoire. Both included songs that were later made famous by Harry Belafonte. Both albums feature a sparse arrangement, in this case just backing vocals, hand drum and, on some songs, acoustic guitar.
 

1. Linstead Market 2. Chi Chi Bud 3. Hosana 4. Cudeila Brown 5. Day Dah Light [a. k. a.: Day O] 6. Dip Dem 7. Me Want Me Daughter 8. Under The Cocoanut Tree 9. Dry Weather Houses 10. How Do You Come Over    (a. k. a.: "De Ribber Ben Come Dung" or "Bamboo") 11. Hol' 'M Joe 12. Towns Of Jamaica

In 1951, Louise Bennett and The Caribbean Serenaders recorded one single of dance-band mento on the UK Melodisc label:

"Linstead Market" (which is described on the label as a "Jamaican Rhumba"), backed with "Bongo Man (described as a "Jamaican Christmas Song"). The latter is the "Wheel and Turn Me" melody with additional lyrics. The label credits the featured trumpet player, Leslie Hutchinson, as well as a supervisor, Denis Preston. This British record of Jamaican music is the same age as the initial Jamaican singles on the MRS label. Because it's out of print, below are sound clips from this single. [Click here for notes About the Audio Clips On This Site.]. Linstead Market Bongo Man (Jamaican Christmas Song)

Louise Bennett also released at least two other 78 RPM singles in the 1950s on the Tri-Jam-Ba label, as seen below. (Label scans courtesy of Richard Noblett of London.)
 

Cudelia Brown b/w: Matty Rag

Hog Eena De Cocoa b/w: Dis Long Time Gal

 

Here is the first single above, re-released on a 45 on the Ja-Mento label, with the legend, "Authentic Jamaican Folk Songs".

I had the above scans on this site for years before I came across scans of the nice jacket, below, at the end of 2015. Thanks Appleton Estates Rum!

Like the label, the cover emphasized the term "mento". The liner notes not only provide a biography, but explain each song.

With an assist from Laurent Pfeiffer, Olivier Albot has provided these scans for the 1957 Louise Bennett LP, "Children's Jamaican Songs and Games". Like the LP above, this one can be heard and purchased on CDR at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings website  http://www.folkways.si.edu/. The accompaniment is acoustic guitar, backing vocals and the occasional hand clap. Olivier also included three scans of the elaborate liner notes, which include information, lyrics, music and diagrams: Liner1  Liner2  Liner3.  Please note that 2 and three are very large.
 

 

Thanks again to Olivier Albot for these scans of "Miss Lou's Views" by Louise Bennett, an LP released on the Federal label in 1967. There are no songs on this LP of good humored cultural monologs, though there is always music in Louise's voice.

Byron Lee and The Dragonaires provide a few very brief instrumental interludes . "Scandal" from this LP is included on the CD 2006 compilation "Dip And Fall Back".

Scans, once again courtesy of Olivier and Laurent, of "Listen To Louise", a 1968 LP on Federal. Although I have not heard it, it is said to have a combination of music and spoken word tracks.

 

In 1983, "'Yes M' Dear' - Miss Lou Live" was re-released. It's readily available on a 1995 CD re-release on the Sonic Sounds label, but be aware that it's billed as being by Miss Lou, rather than Louise Bennett.

In this live performance of Jamaican folk songs, in addition to singing with an 8 piece band, Miss Lou also performs some songs a capella, sounding like a sweet form of dub poetry. There's even a guest appearance by Linton Kwesi Johnson. So irresistible is Miss Lou's good humor, that it overpowers LKJ's normally serious demeanor, resulting in a funny LKJ! Between songs, she lovingly discusses the language of Jamaica and tells stories, always with great humor.

Below, courtesy yet again of Olivier (with an assist from Laurent Pfeiffer) are photos of the original Island LP release of "'Yes M' Dear' - Miss Lou Live", complete with biographical liner notes.

Below is a 45 taken from the LP.

In 1987, Louise recited the folk tale "Ribba Muma" on the cassette collection, "Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories". This release accompanied a book by the same name written by Laura Tanna. The cassette is introduced by Olive Lewin of the Jamaican Folk Singers, who are described below.

The 1981 LP on the Boonoo label, "The Honorable Miss Lou" features many songs from Jamaican folk/mento.  I have not heard this LP, but Olivier Albot, who also supplied these scans says that Louise sings and speaks. In 2009, I heard from Peter Ashbourne who produced, arranged and played piano on this album (as he did for the "Yes M'Dear" LP) and has worked with Louise on other project as well. He was kind enough to supply this description of this LP's dance band sound and where it came from:

When the Kingston dance bands were required to play Mento as part of their playlist, it was neither practical nor desirable to have the musicians roll out a Rhumba Box, Banjo, Maracas and Clave in order to play a song. What eventually evolved was a style of playing the Mento with dance band instrumentation - on electric (or acoustic) bass, electric guitar, piano, trap drum set, and whatever other instruments were in that particular group - saxophone, flute etc. Certainly, in some respects, it was a different sound from the traditional mento band, but since it was being played by Jamaicans with similar aculturalization as the traditional players (albeit with the possible 'colouration' of a broader musical vocabulary), the 'feel' would not change very much. If a Jamaican dance or show band plays Mento, this is the type of sound you will get. This sound is nothing strange in Jamaica today. It is this type of treatment that was given to the songs on the "Honourable..." album. The arrangements for the Island Records album ('Yes M'Dear')  are the same arrangements. 

Courtesy again of Olivier Albot is a rare Louise Bennett album released in 1970 on the Federal label: "Jamaican Anancy Songs" I have not heard this album.

In 2009, I heard an obscure blank-label Louise Bennett single called "Immunization". There are two renditions at different tempos on either side of the single. The song  is to the "Sweetie Charlie" melody, but with new lyrics. It's a notable find, because it marks the first time Miss Lou is singing to a rural mento backing, complete with banjo, shakers, etc.

The Jamaican Folk Singers
 

The Jamaican Folk Singers were founded in 1967 by Olive Lewin and recorded three LPs. The music is characterized by lush, precise, multipart choral vocals (female and male, but predominately female) and acoustic guitar, though some songs also feature percussion or flute. Their repertoire consists of some songs that would be familiar to mento fans plus other common and less common Jamaican folk songs. They also recorded two singles: two sides with Clyde Hoyte ("Jamaican Noel" b/w "O'er The Blue Mountains"), and a recording of the "Jamaican National Anthem", with Mapletoft Poulle and Robert Lightbourne (two of the songs composers, along with Hugh Sherlock). In 2001 Olive Lewin was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction. The JFS continued to perform live as late as 2013. But Lewin passed in April of that year at the age of 85.            "Authentic Jamaican Folk Songs" (on Hummingbird, 1969) is the first LP by The Jamaican Folk Singers.  The back jacket describes the formation of this group. The insert gives information on each song performed.   The back jacket is heavily autographed. It may have been purchased at a JFS performance  at the Florida Center for The Arts in April 1972, as I found three programs inside this used LP: This six page glossy program below features great photos of the JFS, biographies on the band members and other information. It appears to have been put together before 1971. The four page glossy below details the night's program and describes how the JFS won first prize at a prestigious international folk festival. This four page program printed on matte paper repeats some information, but amplifies on the types of folk music being performed. Mento is discussed as a folk form and dance.

Below, courtesy of Olivier Albot, is "In A Programme of Jamaican Folk Songs - Vol. 2" (on Hummingbird, 1971, released in the UK on Ashanti.         "Encore! - Vol. 3" (date and label unknown), by The Jamaican Folk Singers, has a track called "Mento" that is a combination of two mentos: "Iron Bar" and "'Natta [Annatto] Bay Road". These are performed with a full band, complete with banjo. (A few other songs have full band arrangements, but mostly, as is the norm with the JFS, performances are a capella, or with minimal acoustic backing instrumentation.) Incidentally, check the back cover liner notes for the meaning of the song "Iron Bar" -- it's about a racehorse.

Because it is out of print, below is a sample from The Jamaican Folk Singers  "Encore! - Vol. 3" LP. [Click here for notes About the Audio Clips On this Site.] Under The Coconut Tree is a well known folk song and one that is well suited to the JFS' sound.

Here's a The Jamaican Folk Singers release on 8 Track tape.

The Jamaican Folk Singers also released a video performance on VHS tape.

Colin Smith, banjo player of The Jamaican Folk Singers, currently resides in Florida, and is the director of a very popular Mento band in South Florida, The Tallawah Mento Band. For more, see www.tallawahmentoband.com and also on this site, here.