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Renowned rocksteady harmony trio the
Gaylads was formed in 1963 by Kingston-born vocalists
Harris "B.B." Seaton and
Winston Delano Stewart, who as the duo of Winston & Bibby previously enjoyed a series of
Coxsone Dodd-produced hits including "Joybells," "I'll Be There," and "Lover Man." With the addition of local singer Maurice Roberts, the newly formed
Gaylads returned to
Dodd's
Studio One to cut their first hits, reeling off a string of well-received sides like "Whap Whap," "There'll Come a Day," and "What Is Wrong with Me." As
Seaton began work with another Kingston group, the
Astronauts, the
Gaylads' activities ground to a temporary halt, but in 1966 the group returned in force with the hits "Lady with the Red Dress," "Stop Making Love," and "Don't Say No"; they also became a regular fixture of other
Dodd sessions, backing singers including
Slim Smith and
Ken Boothe (for whom
Seaton authored the classic "The Girl I Left Behind").
The sea change from ska to the slower rocksteady rhythm brought with it a huge shift in the
Gaylads' approach -- no longer restrained by the demands of uptempo material, they were free to attempt more complex and sophisticated harmonies, resulting in a number of 1967 hits including "Love Me with All Your Heart," "How Can I Go On," and "I Am Free" (all later included on the trio's debut LP, The Soul Beat). Upon completing the follow-up, Sunshine Is Golden, the
Gaylads parted ways with
Dodd, signing on with producer
Sonia Pottinger for the fine "It's Hard to Confess." The quality of the
Gaylads' work with
Pottinger remained high over the sessions to follow, with efforts like "A.B.C. Rocksteady" and "Over the Rainbow's End" ranking with the group's very best work. However, in late 1968,
Stewart left the trio to mount a solo career;
Seaton and
Roberts forged ahead as a duo, collaborating with a number of producers during 1969 (most notably
Lee "Scratch" Perry, with whom they scored with "Room for Rent" and "I Wear My Slanders").
As the decade drew to its close, the
Gaylads signed with producer
Leslie Kong, immediately notching the smash "There's a Fire." Under
Kong, the group (replacing
Stewart with either ex-Paragon Howard Barrett or Ricky Grant) enjoyed one of their most fruitful periods, recording renditions of everything from
Tommy Edwards' "It's All in the Game" to
Nina Simone's "Young, Gifted and Black"; a cover of
James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" even served as the title track of their third LP. 1971 began promisingly with the hits "My Jamaican Girl" and "People Crying," but that August,
Kong suffered a fatal heart attack; the devastated
Gaylads tapped producer
Rupie Edwards to helm their next smash, "Can't Hide the Feeling." By this time,
Seaton was also performing as a member of the Conscious Minds alongside
Ken Boothe; with
Lloyd Charmers and
Pete Weston, he also co-founded the Splash and Soul Beat labels. Each project drew him further away from the
Gaylads, and after recording a few final records including "The Guy Next Door," "You Can't Get Away," and "Seven in One,"
Seaton left the group.
Roberts, the lone remaining original member, selected brothers Randell and Hopeton Thaxter to carry on the
Gaylads name; the new lineup never matched the success of its predecessor, however, and after releasing the album Love and Understanding as the
Gaylads,
Roberts dropped any reference to the moniker whatsoever and rechristened the trio the Psalms, landing as backing vocalists for
Bunny Wailer. The founding duo of
Seaton and
Stewart re-formed for the first time in over two decades for an appearance at the 1991
Studio One concert, and two years later,
Roberts joined them for a performance at the Rocksteady Reunion in Kingston.
Seaton -- who began his solo career in 1973 with the album Thin Line Between Love and Hate and enjoyed success throughout the years to follow -- subsequently relocated to London to helm his revived Soul Beat imprint. ~ Jason Ankeny