Page last revised: 4/7/08

For most of the 1950s, 10" 78 RPM singles were the norm. But by the end of this decade,  7" 45 RPM singles were also produced. A few four song 7" EPs were also released during this era.

Assorted Scans of Singles From Mento's Golden Age

The very first mento singles were  those released by the MRS label by Lord Fly, as seen on the Lord Fly page. Many other artists would follow on this and other labels. A selection is below.

To start things off, here's an urban mento single by Mapletoft Poulle and His Orchestra:

"Welcome Princess Margaret"        backed with: "Jamaica Reach 300". This single on the very unusual Synco label, a Jamaican label not be confused with the earlier US label of the same name.

Here's a very interesting single on MRS by The Silver Seas Calypso Band :  Highlights From The Silver Seas Floor Show    b/w: Caribbean Curtsy (Courtesy)

"Highlights From The Silver Seas Floor Show" gives us a better idea of the live presentation of this band in the mid 1950s at the Ocho Rios hotel of the same name. This apparently included dancers and theatrics to convey a trip to a Jamaican market set to a collection of Jamaican folk songs as narrated by MC Stuart Sharp.

"Hill and Gully Ride" includes the narration, And here comes the Little Marsh, dancing with bamboozles on his head. A brief Eddie Brown acoustic guitar solo segues into "Rukumbine", which includes the narration, And lookie, here comes that ham himself, Bertie Green and the Silver Seas Goat!. This brings us into "Miss A Ram Goat", which is followed by the narration, Of course ladies and gentlemen, no market scene would be complete without the market woman herself, smoking her chalk pipe and riding her donkey, its Mama Bell. This bring us into "John Tom" follow by the narration, Well ladies and gentlemen the greatest of all market songs, the Jamaican song, Carry My Ackees  to the Linstead Market.

"Caribbean Curtsy (Courtesy)", an original composition, also includes narration. It is Saturday, February the 19th, 1955. A memorable day for Jamaica. Her royal highness, the beautiful Princess Margaret of England has arrived at this Caribbean paradise. At Kings House, the famed Silver Seas Calypso are about to sing a new song dedicated to our royal visitor. Its title, 'Caribbean Courtesy' words by Sally Mitchener[?], original melody by Eddie Brown. Presented now by the Silver Seas Calypso.

Musically, the sound on both sides is recognizably Silver Seas  with prominent acoustic guitar drum and claves. I am not sure who the lead vocalist is.

 

Two familiar songs by Lord Power and His Calypso Quartet on a MRS 78 RPM single: "Miss Goosey" backed with "Solas Market", both titles with the legend "(Jamaica Mento)" printed underneath. A good Lord Power single, featuring his typical rowdy delivery and rough rural instrumentation.

 

More rough rural mento from Lord Power, this time with a band billed as The Power Calypsonians: I'm Sorry For Myself        b/w: Go Gal Go The label gives writing credit to Leonard Wms, perhaps revealing Power's real name.

A few golden age singles on had different artists on either side. Here's one, released on the Kalypso label:

"Medley: Woman Sweeter Than Man; One Bright Easter Morn; Dog War In Matthews Lane"
by Lord Power  backed with "Ackee and Codfish" by Lord Composer.

Both tracks are rural and sound like the same backing musicians were employed. (The fact that the backing group on both sides is The Jamaican Calypsonians does not necessarily guarantee this. This is something of a generic name used by more than one backing band.)

	Power's medley sandwiches two well known songs around a lesser known one. To the right is one side of the 45 RPM re-release of this single.
	Composer's song about a beloved dish credits Omri Mundle as the song's author, perhaps revealing Composer's real name. As the label to the right shows, this 78 was later re-released as a 45 RPM single.

Courtesy of Matthias Münchow of Germany, on MRS, a single by Lord Melody, with Sonny Bradshaw and His Quintet: "The Whistler"  backed with  "Boy Days".

Although Bradshaw is renowned for his 6 decades of Jamaican jazz, this is the only mento disc I've seen with his name on it (though with Lord Melody on vocals, it may be more of a calypso than mento). As you would expect, it's in the dance band style, and includes trumpet solos by Bradshaw.

On a later 45 RPM MRS re-release, here is both sides of the same Sonny Bradshaw single.

Courtesy of Paul Steward of London, scans of a famous Lord Power single on the Trojan label (and, some sources claim, the first ever release on this label and the first record produced by Duke Reid, who named his new label and his sound system after his nickname, "The Trojan".):

Penny Reel   b/w:   Chambolina For more on the A-side, and to hear a sample, see the Other Artists and Favorite Song Clips page. Both tracks are available on the CD compilations "Jamaica Mento - Authentic Recording" and "Dip and Fall Back".

Here is the same 78 RPM single, but released on the Kalypso label.

Two singles on MRS  by singer Hubert Porter as backed by George Moxey and His Calypso Quintet: This is dance-band mento, featuring fine vocal, jazzy arrangements with prominent clarinet and piano. Lyrics by the great E. F. Williams.

"Women's Bigger Brain"   b/w "Advice To Women" Both sides re written by E. F. Williams, who had previously dispensed "Advice To Men" on a Harold Richardson single.

Sporting a lot of ink (and, sorry, no larger image available) is "Dry Weather House". The unpictured flipside would be "Monkey Talk". These sides appeared on several MRS LPs and can be purchased today on the CD compilation "Mento Madness". A clip from "Dry Weather House" can be heard on the "More Artists and Favorite Songs Clips" page.

A 45 RPM single on the US Ritmo label and perhaps from the 1960s rather than the 1950s, billed to Hubert Porter and The Jamaican Calypso Funmakers: "Mary's Lamb"       backed with "Old Lady You Mashing Me Toe" This single was taken from an LP on the same label.

"The River Ben Come Down" is a fine banjo lead rural mento rendition of this old Jamaican folk song. "Plenty Road Lead To Heaven" is a spiritual written by Hoyte. The arrangement consists of multipart vocals, strummed acoustic guitar,

maracas and hand claps. This is the only gospel entry I've heard on a 1950s mento label. Could this be the first ever Jamaican gospel record?

Here is an extremely curious specimen. Its a MRS 78 RPM single, but it substitutes a less familiar "Made By" variation of the label.

There is no matrix number on the run out groove to provide any clues.

Both songs are instrumental. The dated side has lead clarinet, piano and maracas. The melody played by the clarinet is unfamiliar, but after a brief jazzy piano break, the medley changes to that of "Belly Lick", as recorded by Cecil Knott and his Joybell Orchestra with Arthur Knibbs on vocals. The pianist here sounds like he could be the same as from Joybells, but that group featured piano and banjo as lead instruments, and never clarinet. The signed side is cocktail jazz with piano, a drum kit, stand up bass, and lead clarinet!

So what exactly is this record? A rehearsal or jam session? A demo? The worlds first dub plate? A private recording? As is often the case, the toughest mento questions can be readily answered  by Dan Neely:

This was a private recording. As you probably know, Motta had a little studio at Hanover St. hat you might not know is that his studio provided a service whereby people could go to pay to make a record. It wasn't cheap, but relatively affordable for middle class customers. The process behind it was just like when Elvis went to Sun Studios to have his first record made for his mom.

The interesting part for me are the names on the disc. Henriques and DeSouza were (still are and have been for a long, long time) two VERY prominent names in Kingston's Jewish community. Further, the Grahams were a prominent family that owned a chain of Jamaican movie theaters (their theaters, I believe, introduced Cinemascope to the country). Many Kingstonians would characterize these three names as being paradigmatically "uptown." I don't know exactly who these people are, but it is not surprising to find the names here together; they would all have been part of Jamaica's high society and it is very likely that the kids of these families would have made music as a recreational activity."

The autographed side definitely has that "Belly Lick" figure in it, but I wouldn't consider Knibb's recording a source because that didn't come out until after this record was made (not like Belly Lick wasn't a common enough tune before Knibbs's group recorded it for the uptown crowd to know it).

I think the other side is a cover of Sammy Kaye's version of "Harbor Lights" (a BIG hit tune in the early 1950s that was available in Jamaica). Note the similarity between the pedal-steel guitar in Kaye's version and the slide acoustic in this one. I think we have a match.

	The same single but this time on a less familiar label. The Tico label bears the legend, El Rey Del Mambo, or "King of the Mamabo". So this NYC-based label that typically does not release Jamaican music
	The mystery is solved with the discovery of this original release on the Kalypso label. "Mary Ann; Brown Skin Gal" backed with "Not Me" turns out to be by the Denzil Laing Trio.

Here are the labels from more two Kalypso singles by Denzil Laing and The Wigglers, courtesy of Matthias Münchow of Germany. The first three tracks can be heard today on the inexpensive Valmark CDs. These are pleasing folksy mento tracks, though a bit tame. "Mermaid" is a jazzier track. I have not heard "Who To Call Your Friend". Interestingly, all the specimens I have seen of these singles and the Kalypso single above are labeled "Complimentary".

"Day Oh; Linstead Market"        backed with "Mermaid"

"Limbo"        backed with "Who To Call Your Friend" Dan Neely was kind enough to supply this site with some information about Denzil Laing and The Wrigglers: Everything by the Wrigglers is led by Denzil Laing. Laing, who made a bunch of important recordings with Larry McDonald (conga player for Carlos Malcolm, among other things) in the late 60s and early 70s. Denzil's son Tony has a radio show in Power 106 in JA and is leading the intellectual property fight for musicians in Jamaica. In addition to these 1950s singles, they also recorded at least two middle period hotel LPs and one middle period 45 RPM single.

	Two tracks by Lord Power and The Calypso Quintet: "Penny Reel" is discussed on the Other Artists & Songs Clips page. "Chambolina" can be heard on the Traditional CD. The original 78 RPM for both these tracks can be seen above.

The Ken Khouri produced 45 on the Kalypso label by Lord Laro: "Referendum Calypso"  b/w: "Wrong Impressions of A Soldier" Thanks to Steve Brentford for these scans.

On MRS featuring the vocals of Robin Plunkett, The Shaw Park Calypso Band: "Take Her to Jamaica"   b/w: "Shaw Park Blues" For more info on the B-side, lyrics and to hear a clip, visit the "Other Artists and Songs Clips" page.

On MRS, a single by Monty Reynolds and The Shaw Park Calypso Band:

"Pen Pal"   b/w: "Me Dog Can't Bark" Both sides of this single were collected on the 1950s MRS LP "Authentic Jamaican Calypsos, Volume 5".  "Me Dog Can't Bark" can be heard today as part of the CD compilation "Mento Madness".

This is rural mento, but acoustic guitar, rather than banjo is featured. Though he is not credited, the guitar player sounds like Eddie Brown. Both songs were written by R. Thompson, a name I've seen on other labels, but I am not otherwise familiar with.

Here are three singles on the MRS label, by Reynolds Calypso Clippers, Boysie Grant on vocals and Eddie Brown on tenor banjo.

These are great recordings, with fine vocals and instrumentation featuring prominent banjo and hand drum. Five of these sides comprise most of the 8 song 10" LP, "Authentic Jamaican Calypsos" released on London Records. First is a pair of market songs: "Solus Market"                b/w: "Linstead Market" On 78 and on 45. Second is: "Noisy Spring"                 b/w: "The Naughty Little Flea"

"The Naughty Little Flea" can be heard on the 2006 CD compilation, "Take Me To Jamaica". "Solas Market" can be heard on the 2004 CD compilation "Mento Madness".

Also above is a label from the 45 RPM re-release of "Noisy Spring", again on MRS. For more on "Noisy Spring" and to hear a clip, visit the More Artists and Favorite Song Clips page. In addition to the London LP, both sides of this single appeared on two different MRS LPs: "Authentic Jamaican Calypsos, vol. 3" and "Calypso Date", respectively.

Third is a pair of medleys: "Sweety Charlie; Matty Rag;   Nobody's Business"                 b/w: "Come We Go Down To Unity;   Old Lady Oh; Linstead Market"

Both labels bear the legend "Jamaican Mento-Calypsos". Both tracks can be heard on the 2004 CD compilation "Mento Madness". A song from each side influenced later Jamaican music giants. "Nobody's Business" was recorded by Peter Tosh. "Old Lady Oh" was recorded as "Firesticks" by Prince Buster.

Lord Daniels' single on Kalypso: "Small Island Girl"   b/w: "Matilda" Rural mento featuring  banjo and harmonica. The only known single by this artist.

Several singles of polished dance-band style mento by Hubert Porter and The Jamaican Calypsonians singles on Times Records. Some of these sides can be heard on easily found CDs. See the Valmark collections and Jamaican Mento - Authentic Recordings on the Can I Buy Mento? page. They also appeared on some of the Times Store LPs, as seen on the More Golden Age Album Scans page.

"Rum and Coconut Water" is a cover of the cross-over calypso hit. "Not Me" was recorded by several mento acts as well Harry Belafonte, who re-titled it, "Man Smart, Woman Smarter".

Taken from two different discs are both sides of another Hubert Porter single on the Times Store label:

"Miss Goosie (Medley)"        b/w "Ugly Woman"   (Sorry, a larger image of the latter is not available.)

In addition to being compiled as described above, "Miss Goosie" was popular enough for Hubert to record several times, and for several reggae artists to record as well, as can be seen on the Non-mento Covers of Mento Songs page. "Ugly Woman", on the other hand, has never been compiled, released only on this single .
 

Two more popular sides Hubert Porter and The Jamaican Calypsonians sides on Times Records: "Miss Daisy and Brown Skin Girl"  backed with  "Old Lady".

On the MRS label, the only two sides I know of by Joseph Clemedore, otherwise know as Cobra Man: "My Brother Calamity"     b/w "Maintenance".

MRS also included "Maintenance" was included on the LP "MRS - Authentic Jamaican Calypsos Volume 3". Count Lasher like this song well enough to cover it reggae style some twenty years later. To my ears, this track seems more calypso than mento. Perhaps its the backing by the otherwise unknown "Ganny Gabbison and his Calypso Band". Or does the legend that appears after the song title on the label give a clue. It reads "Calypso", while the flip side has no such legend.

"My Brother Calamity" shares some of the melody with "Maintenance". But this time the backing band is the more familiar in name and sound "George Moxey and His Calypso Quintet" and jazzy piano and percussion flow.

"Little Boy" was covered by The Blue Glaze Mento Band, reggae singer Nora Dean, reggae DJ Dillinger, and Rita Marley in her mento guise of Girl Wonder, amongst others. Its flip side, "Don't Touch My Nylon" is less remembered. Scans are again courtesy of Matthias Münchow.

Here is the same single, which was popular enough to be released out of NYC on the Monogram label and out of England on the Lyragon label. Notice how the song gains an alternate name. Also, the writing credit is given to the mysterious "R. Henderson".

Marie's "Little Boy" made its CD debut in 2006 on the CD compilation "Dip and Fall Back".

On London's Calypso imprint, a 78 another single by Marie Bryant: "Noisy Spring" backed with "Mary's Lamb".  "Noisy Spring", like "Tomato" below were both Jamaican in origin, so the influence between Marie Bryant  and mento was a two way street.

Courtesy of Matt Dinsmore of San Francisco, left is another Marie Bryant' re-release on a Kalypso 45: "Tomato", which was backed by "Little Boy". To the right is a 78 RPM release on Lyragon. The label also credits the Mike McKenzie Quintet, featuring mento musician Bertie King on alto sax.

Here is the same single on on red wax, released the US based label Monorgam. Both "Little Boy/Out De Lite" and Tomato by Marie Bryant can be heard on the 2006 CD compilation "Dip and Fall Back".

Many of the tracks described here were complied on Marie Bryant's LP, "Don't Touch Me Nylons" as seen on the More Golden Age Albums scans page, as well as on an EP, "Calypsos Too Hot To Handle", as seen below.

From Robert Schoenfeld's Collection

"She 'Pon Top"     b/w:    "Susie"

The saucy "She Pon Top" was a hit for this popular dance band act.

"Reincarnation" (with writing credit given to Leonard Josephs) appears on the MRS LP, Authentic Jamaican Calypsos vol.4. Authorship of both sides goes to Leonard Josephs.