Here is a neat little limited edition 7″ that I picked up at my local record store last week.  Titled “African Zulu / Safari” by Lloyd Charmers & Hippy Boys.  The single, released in the late 1990s on the Trybute label,  is pressed on brilliant red vinyl.  These ska tunes, originally cut in 1969 under the guidance of Lloyd Charmers, an accomplished singer, keyboardist, and record producer.  A member of the Uniques, a vocal group that included lead singer Keith ‘Slim’ Smith, Charmers provided backing vocals on many early reggae hits such as Winston ‘Niney’ Holness’ “Blood and Fire” which made the British national chart in 1971.  His greatest success as a producer came in 1975 with Ken Boothe’s “Everything I Own,” which topped the British national chart.

An interesting historical note, Charmers was the very first musician to take on the name “Augustus Pablo,” based on a concept conceived by Herman Lin-Choy.  The pseudonym would later be used with great success by multi-talented musician and dub genius Horace Swaby.

The Hippy Boys was formed in 1968 by Charmers. The band included guitarist Alva “Reggie” Lewis, organist Glen Adams and brothers Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett on bass guitar and Carlton Barrett drums respectively.  Upon the UK Singles Chart success of “Return of Django” in 1969, Lee “Scratch” Perry and The Upsetters were invited on a six-week tour of the UK. However, due to a clashing of schedules, the original Upsetters could not make the trip. The newly formed Hippy Boys became the new Upsetters for the tour; causing the band to be frequently confused with the original Upsetters in the future.

Crucial history lesson…