Dandy Livingstone

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Dandy Livingstone
Birth nameRobert Livingstone Thompson
Born (1943-12-14) 14 December 1943 (age 81)
Kingston, Jamaica
OriginKingston, Jamaica
Genres Ska, rocksteady, reggae
Labels Trojan Records, Carnival
Trojan LPs.jpg Trojan LPs.jpg
Trojan LPs.jpg

Dandy Livingstone (born Robert Livingstone Thompson, 14 December 1943) is a British-Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae musician and record producer, best known for his 1972 hit "Suzanne Beware of the Devil", and for his song "Rudy, a Message to You", which was later a hit for the Specials. "Suzanne Beware of the Devil" reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart [1] and number 78 in Australia. [2] In the early 1960s, Livingstone recorded some of the bestselling UK-produced ska singles of the era. [3]

Contents

Biography

At the age of 15, Livingstone moved to the United Kingdom [4] to live with his estranged mother in London. [3] Livingstone's first record was released without his knowledge - a tenant in the building where he and a friend jammed recorded some of these sessions and released some tracks on the Planetone label. When London-based Carnival Records was seeking a Jamaican vocal duo, Livingstone filled the requirement by double-tracking his own voice, releasing records in this fashion under the name Sugar & Dandy. One of these singles, "What a Life", sold 25,000 copies, providing Livingstone with his first hit. When called on to perform live, Roy Smith was recruited to make up the duo, although he would be replaced by Tito "Sugar" Simon.

Prior to becoming a musician, Livingstone first worked as a record salesman - an episode that was his door into the music industry. In 1967, Livingstone signed with Ska Beat Records, for whom he recorded his debut album, 1967's Rocksteady with Dandy. [3]

In 1968, Livingstone moved into production, and formed a duo with Audrey Hall (as Dandy & Audrey). His production of other artists included the Marvels' debut album and hit singles by Nicky Thomas ("Suzanne Beware of the Devil") and Tony Tribe ("Red Red Wine").

In the late 1960s, Livingstone worked with the trombonist Rico Rodriguez, who was featured on "Rudy, a Message to You". Rodriguez later played with the Specials, whose 1979 cover version made the song famous. Livingstone produced several singles for Rodriguez under the name Rico & the Rudies.

Livingstone signed to Trojan Records in 1968, releasing two albums, Follow That Donkey and Dandy Returns. A Trojan subsidiary, Down Town Records, was set up to release Livingstone's output, both as a singer and producer, and the J-Dan subsidiary served the same purpose in the early 1970s. Livingstone returned to Jamaica, living there until 1973. [3]

Livingstone resurfaced in 1973 with the single "Black Star" on Mooncrest Records and the album Conscious. On his return to the UK, he recorded a self-titled album at Byron Lee's studio.

It was announced on 11 September 2011 that Livingstone would be performing for the first time in over 40 years at the 2012 London International Ska Festival on 3–6 May. Though it was announced on stage that he had been present at the sound check, he did not perform.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles

Credited to 'Dandy' except where stated.

References

  1. ↑ Jo-Ann Greene (10 December 2002). "Suzanne Beware of the Devil: The Best of Dandy Livingston - Dandy Livingstone | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 179. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cane-Honeysett, Laurence (2017). The Best of Dandy Livingstone (CD compilation booklet). Trojan Records. pp. 1–2.
  4. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1994). The Guinness Who's Who of Reggae (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 153/4. ISBN   0-85112-734-7.
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