Throughout the formative years of Reggae's development, few Jamaican music makers able to rival the success and quality of work released on Leslie Kong's celebrated Beverley's Records imprint.
During this hugely exciting period in the island's musical
history, Kong's artist roster was second to none, with those on the
roll call of acts including Toots & the Maytals, the Pioneers,
Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & the Wailers, the
Melodians and the Gaylads. The latter, while never
achieving mainstream chart action outside their native country, had
been an important force on the Jamaican music scene ever since
Harris 'BB' Seaton, Winston Delano Stewart and Maurice
Roberts had first formed the singing trio in 1963.
Their tenure with Kong's Beverley's Records commenced soon after
the onset of the new Reggae sound in '69, after which they produced
a slew of high quality recordings, primarily penned by Seaton, with
their hits including such enduring works as 'There's A Fire',
'Tell The Children The Truth', 'Soul Sister' and 'My
Jamaican Girl'. Equally as strong, both in terms of
composition and performance, was 'Baby I'll Be
Yours', another original Seaton number, cut at Dynamic
Studios on 9th February 1970. Yet, perversely, the recording
remained unissued, while its backing track saw issue in both
Jamaica and the UK, simply as 'Be Yours', credited to the
Beverley's All Stars.
Now, belated, this sublime number, bearing all the hallmarks of
the classic Beverley's Reggae sound, finally sees issue as the
latest in Trojan's popular limited edition 7" range. The track
comes coupled with another previously unreleased gem from the
label's vaults, 'Tribute To Prince Ruff',
performed by as yet unidentified DJ credited as the
Monster. Confusingly, an alternate cut of this superb Boss
Reggae piece saw issue on Trojan, and more recently on a bootleg
Pyramid 7", as 'The Monster' by the Beverley's All Stars -
presumably a case of a Trojan staff member misinterpreting the
handwritten script on the original tape box!
Presented on the much-missed Summit imprint, dormant for almost 40
years, the record is, as ever, pressed on the best quality,
heavy-weight vinyl, with copies housed in individually numbered
Trojan house bags. And with a total of just 500 45s manufactured,
buyers are advised to place their orders early to avoid any
disappointment! Just click here!
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