Pre-Mento Years
An article in Vintage Boss
magazine (issue #15, July 2003) tells us that Count Owen was born
Owen Emanuel in the community of Gayle, Saint Mary in 1943, though this is
likely a typo, as he was born in 1933. The next year, he moved to Jones
Town, Kingston.
According to the liner notes
of his "Mento Time" LP, singer and guitarist Owen began singing in school at age seven. By age 15,
he settled on mento and immediately found a measure of success as a
performer. However, this is at odds with the Vintage Boss article. Since
mento liner notes are notoriously inaccurate, Owen's recollections
in Vintage Boss are far more likely to be valid:
"I actually started singing when I
was 19 years old going onto 20, in 1953/54. I started singing
ballads on RJR on the talent parade show. By age 20, I went to
perform at Vere Johns Opportunity Hour, where I sang blues and
ballads. At the time when I started singing Mento, you had other
singers, such as Lord Power, Lord Tanamo, Lord Fly, Count
Lasher, Laurel Aitken and more."
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An early
Count Owen photo, from
Vintage Boss magazine, originally from
The Gleaner, copyright Gleaner Company. |
Golden Age Singles
Owen did not record a great many songs in mento's golden age of
the 1950s. Only nine tracks have been documented so far (though there were
at least a few more). But whether they were renditions of mento standards,
or original compositions, they were of consistently high quality.
These were rural style recordings, and seemed to always feature great banjo
playing by Euton Gayle (a.k.a. Lord Gayle, who recorded solo material under
both names). A number of them feature haunting tones that I originally
though were played on bamboo flute, but now hear as very judicious electric
guitar. Many were released on the Kalypso
label, they were produced by Ken Khouri -- an association that would last
through the 1960s. Owen was a young man when he recorded
these tracks. He is one of the few golden age mento stars that is still
alive at the time this web site was created in January of 2003. Below are
some scans of his golden-age singles, followed by some some sound clips of
my favorite Count Owen songs:
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Courtesy of Richard Noblett of London is this Count Owen and His
Five Stars single on MRS:
Nana b/w:
Love In Sweet Jamaica
Like every other golden age Count Owen
track I've heard, this is good stuff.
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Side 2 of the 45 RPM single
discussed on the Lord Tanamo page. "The Albany King Size
Calypso, No. 2" by Count Owen and His Calypsonians
is rural mento extolling Albany cigarettes. Albany
commissioned this song as part of a calypso
competition. The lyrics are very much a product of its time.
Today, it's surprising and funny to hear such an unabashed
recommendation to smoke. One wonders why the Surgeon
General didn't step in to break up the proceedings. |
Because it's out of print
and a favorite, here are the lyrics and a sound clip
from
Count Owen - Albany King Size Calypso, No. 2.
[About the Audio Clips On this Site.]
"Albany King Size Calypso, No. 2" by Count
Owen
Why should I hide the facts
of Albany filter tip cigarettes
The cigarette that has received fame
and all Jamaica should be proud of it name
So if you want smoking pleasure
at work or at leisure
Buy the soothing cool Albany filter tip
cigarette --
at any measure
King-size Albany
is the only cigarette for me, So you all folks stop your joking and get down to some
smoking Smoke the coolest, smoothest, most economical cigarette
-- Albany filter tips!
B. and J. Machado
are manufacturers of this fine tobacco
With so many Jamaicans
helping to make Albany filter tip brands
Cigarette is right on the ball
and I'm certain its standard can never fall
Judgment - it's bread to perfection
its social[?] distraction
it's the coolest, smoothest mildest cigarette
there is yet --
that is non-fiction
King-size Albany
is the only cigarette for me, So you all folks stop your joking and get down to some
smoking Smoke the coolest, smoothest, most economical cigarette
-- Albany filter tips!
Albany!
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On Kalypso, is the single:
Hool-A-Hoop Calypso b/w:
Island In The Sun Calypso
Both sides have the credit "Count Owen and
His Calypsonians Featuring Euton Gayle And His Banjo". Cool!
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"Hool-A-Hoop Calypso",
an original about the hula hoop craze of the
1950s, was said to have been a hit for him. Euton playfully ends a
banjo solo with a strum on the headstock. "Island in the Sun
Calypso" is an old mento standard. Both of these tracks a quite good
and can be heard in fine sound quality on one of the
Valmark CDs . This is the easiest
way today to hear Count Owen's work. |
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Also on Kalypso,
baring the same credits is the single:
Bull Dog b/w:
Old Lady's Taxi
These scans come from one disc, even
though they look a bit different. |
Loaded with Euton
Gayle's rippling banjo playing, Count Owen's "Bull Dog"
is one of the most
endearing mento song ever recorded, in spite of the sad ending. You really feel for Owen as the
neighbor's dog steals the turkey he and his wife were planning to have for
dinner, as he pleads,
I have a loaded gun,
and I don't want to be hard, but,
neighbor, get your bull dog out of me yard.
"Old Lady's Taxi" is a nice
track as well, with prominent bamboo sax and a short, but typically fine
Euton Gayle banjo solo. It uses a common mento double entendre where the old
person's (there have been old man and old woman versions) ride, or taxi is more
demanding than one might expect.
Because it is out
of print and is a favorite of mine, here is a sound clip of
Bull Dog
along with the lyrics. Sadly, this great track
has never been collected on an LP or CD, leaving scratchy 78 RPM singles
as the only means to hear this song.
[Click here for notes
About the Audio Clips On this Site.]
"Bull Dog",
by
Count Owen
When the
turkey started to cool
I so did not know what to do
I really thought it was all nonsense
But then I looked -- a bull dog came over my fence
Woman, get your bull dog out of me yard
Neighbor, come and get your bull dog out of me yard
I have a loaded gun, and I don't want to be hard
so come and get your bull dog out of me yard.
My wife and I were considerin'
that we should have the turkey bird for din-din
But when the bull dog gave us a call
You should be there to hear me and my wife call
Woman, get your bull dog out of me yard
Hear me boiling -- woman, get your bull dog out of me yard
I have a loaded gun, and I don't want to be hard
So, neighbor, come and get your bull dog out of me yard
The bull dog saw me holding the gun
He didn't even shape as if e would run
He didn't mind if I stepped him off his feet
just as long as he got the turkey to eat
Woman, get your bull dog out of me yard
Neighbor, come and get your bull dog out of me yard
I have a loaded gun, but I don't want to be hard
Come and get your bull dog out of me yard
Bull dog was getting near the bird
By this time, the bullet was heard
The owners came to witness the fall
Say didn't really hear when come go and call
Come and get your bull dog out of me yard
Neighbor, come and get your bull dog out of me yard
I have a loaded gun, but I don't want to be hard
So come and get your bull dog out of me yard
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A very rare Count Owen
single on RCA,
that I found in 2015:
Joy Ride b/w:
Calypsonian
Both are in the classic rural mold. |
"Joy Ride" is a
Lasher-like double entendre song. "Calypsonian" owe a
bit to the folk song "John Tom", though the lyrics are as naughty as
those on the flip. It's about choosing a Owen over any other type of
man. Both songs are peppered by find solos by banjo (especially) and
sax.
Because they are out
of print and are favorites, below are clips from three more
golden age tracks by Count Owen:
[Click here for notes
About the Audio Clips On this Site.]
Brown Skin Gal
and
Limbo
were each recorded by
numerous artists, though better version than these would be hard to find.
Both come from the MRS LP, "Calypso
Date" and, unusually for a MRS album, do not appear to have ever
been released as singles.
Take Her to Jamaica
features a proto-reggae beat, odd flute playing and
references one of mento's many aliases, "Jamaican rumba".
Of all the golden age Count Owen tracks I've heard, this one most
foreshadows reggae music. This is another track that has never been released
other than on a 78 RPM single.
"Brown Skin Gal" and "Take Her To Jamaica" became available
on CD in 2013 on the collection called
"Mento, Not Calypso".
Another 78 on the Kalypso label: "Fat Gal", backed with
"Kendal Duppy". Both sides again credit Euton Gayle as on the
single above. Prominent bamboo sax and hand drum are also featured.
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"Fat Gal" is a simple and lighthearted song about the virtues of fat
girls: "Get on pon you lap and call her your lollipop".
"Kendal Duppy" is about the infamous train accident (the Kendall
Crash) and the ghosts that resulted. |
A single on Kalypso by Count Owen and His Calypsonians:
"Come With Me" backed with "Fish Tail Hobble". Though a release on a 45
RPM single might indicate a late 1950s or even early 1960s release, the
sound is vintage golden-age Owen. Classic rural mento with Lord Gayle's fine
banjo, acoustic guitar, hand drum, maracas and rumba box. The first side is
a ballad, the second is a rocker.
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"Come With Me" is a ballad in which Owen implores
his girlfriend to join him in Jamaica to start a family. It
lists many things JA has to offer, including kalypso. The rousing
"Fish Tail Hobble" describes a dress that increases the allure as
well as the upkeep costs of the woman that wears it. |
Though I do not have a scan, I've heard
another golden age Count Owen track, "Old Lady's Taxi", which was also
released on Kalypso. It's similar in sound to Owen's other Kalypso
tracks right down to the fine Euton Gayle banjo solos. Lyrically, the
track is a Count Lasher-esc extended double entendre, as the old lady
instructs cabbie Owen, "Drive as hard as you can, turn the wheel like you
are a man", etc.
1960s LPs
During mento's middle period of the 1960s, Owen
became prolific, as he recorded a string of five LPs that moved from mento to ska
to rock steady.
Down Jamaica Way is the
first Count Owen LP. It sticks to traditional rural mento instrumentation,
and for the most part, repertoire. The music is good, but, it must be said,
like all
middle-period material, to my ears, less vibrant and not as compelling as the recordings of
the golden age. This LP was released in 2005 on CD, as described
on the "Can I Buy Mento" page.
Thanks to Matthias Münchow of Hamburg, Germany for the label scan.
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Owen's second LP, Mento Time
(on Kalypso) is still rural mento, but a little less so. It's
dominated by (non-bamboo) flute and sax, except for the last two tracks.
There's also banjo (it sounds like Euton Gayle is still on board), bass, some hand drum, but strangely, I did not hear Owen's guitar in the mix.
Though not listed, the first track, ("Chi Chi Bud") segues into "Dog War".
This is one of the few LPs that eschews the label
"calypso" for the more accurate "mento". |
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"Count Down
with Count Owen" is billed to Count Owen and The Crafters. It's on
Kalypso, and the jacket
gives us a two photos of Owen. The liner notes, on one hand, mostly sells
the Treasure-Chest Lounge, where Owen was performing, but on the other hand,
gives full band credits. Some songs are from the mento repertoire, but many
are not. They are performed in either as ska, or in a urban mento/cocktail
jazz/calypso inflected style, as Owen leaves rural mento behind. I am not sure if this LP or the one below
is Owen's third album. The third image above comes from another copy
of the back jacket. The difficult to read autograph is said to say, "Count Owen of
Kingstown, Jamaica 21/9/66".
"Hooliganism" from this LP is included on the
CD 2006 compilation "Dip
And Fall Back".
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You may have notice the name
George Tucker in the liner notes above. Left, is an obscure
single by Owen's sometimes guitarist, sometimes banjo player.
Released on the George Tucker The Dust label, it an original
mento song, though it features familiar name ("Lignum Vitae") and a
familiar melody ("Jack Ass Bray"). Its high energy mento with a
calypso bend to its rhythm.
Thanks to Jeremy Collingwood for the
scan and clip. |
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Thanks to Natty B for these photos of Owen's Come Let's
Go Ska-Lipso, on the Kentone label (which is another Khouri
family imprint). As ska broke big in Jamaica, it was not uncommon to see
middle-period artists begin to record ska-influenced mento. And although all
the songs on this LP are mentos, the music has an unvarying ska
rhythm and ska instrumentation (trap drums, lead and rhythm electric guitar,
bass, and some backing vocals on one track), with no trace of mento. The
song, "Take Me To Jamaica" changes the lyric "where the rum comes from"
to "where the ska comes from". (This track is available on
the 2004 collection, "Trojan
Jamaica Box Set".) The back jacket above is again autographed, and the liner notes
place the recording later than 1964. This must have been a fairly poplar
album of its day, judging by the number of copies of it that turn up on
eBay. |
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Rock Steady Calypso, on the Federal label
features another photo of Owen.
As is always the case, this record is not dated, but title places this LP
as a late 1960s release. The liner notes state that this is the sixth LP
Owen recorded for Federal, his band is called The Crafters and that
the LP's producer and photographer was Richard Khouri.
Many of the songs are familiar mento classics,
including "Mattie Run", a track not listed on either the label or jacket.
The sound is dance band, featuring jazzy electric guitar and trumpet. The
songs have either a rock steady or a calypso rhythm.
The autograph is only partially legible. It's
to Mark from
Count Owen. There's more, including the word 'music', that I
can't make out. From all the autographed mid-period jackets
floating around, it's apparent that the performers
sold records
at their performances in the hotels. Here is a more legible
autographed jacket that reads:
"To Pam, with love, from Count Owen,
Calypso King of Jamaica, 1/6/79.
Although I only know of the five LPs listed
above, this LP's liner notes state that there are six. But before you go on
a holy grail like quest, please remember that mento LP liner notes are often
erroneous. As the scan to the right shows, this LP was also released on the
Kalypso label.
"Underneath The Mango Tree" from this LP is
included on the CD 2006 compilation "Dip
And Fall Back". |
1970s,
1980s
and Beyond
Owen also recorded at least
two tracks for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One
label in the early 1970s.
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Courtesy of Matthias Münchow of
Germany, below is one of these records, "The End", along with its
version, "Dub End", on the Money Disc imprint in 1972.
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Matthias describes it as:
a
reggae version of Earl Grant's (1933-1970) biggest hit "The End" (1958, #7
US-Billboard Charts) (a.k.a. "At The End Of The Rainbow").
The vocals are performed in a more show-business
pop-vocals style, sounding little like his other recordings.
I have also heard a version
of "Soldering" attributed to Count Owen for Studio One. It is
faithful to Stanley Beckford's original reggae
recording of this song, right down to the mento style vocals.
Also
in the aforementioned Vintage Boss article,
Owen recalled:
"I performed during the 1970s
and 1980s a lot on the North Cost hotel scene and places like Devon
House in Kingston. I'm looking forward to to getting back into recording
in the very near future."
The Vintage Boss article also
revealed that in 2003, Count Owen performed to an appreciative crowd with
the Rod Dennis Mento Band at the "Mento in May Concert".
Dan Neely, who helped organize this concert
-- a return to Devon house -- reports that Owen sounded great and that the
audience reacted very positively to this mento great.
Both 2003 Owen photos are from Vintage Boss magazine, taken by Roy
Sweetland.
Finally, the Vintage Boss article
concludes by describing the musical activity of Owen's daughters. They have
performed as The Emanuel Sisters and Rare Essence. One sister,
Judi, has since begun to perform as a solo artist.
Also
see:
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