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Background
Lord Lebby (Noel
Williams) was born in 1930 in St. Mary, Jamaica. According to the liner
notes from the LP found at the bottom of this page, Noel sang with calypso
groups all over the island from early childhood to put himself through
school.
In the 1950s, Lebby recorded at least 15 tracks for both
Ken Khouri and
Stanley Motta.
First was a series of 78 RPM singles on the Kalypso label. Many of
these tracks in particular are very interesting, and are discussed below.
This was followed by a residency at The Montego Beach Hotel that resulted in a
string of 78 RPM singles released on a label by the same name. These sides
were also collected as album of 78s and, later, as a LP. (See
here for MBH's LPs released after Lebby.) In the 1960s, he recorded at least one middle-period LP.
Perhaps Lebby's earliest recordings are the two
songs made available on the Ken Khouri CD compilation "Rookumbine".
Both
"Coconut Woman" and "Green Guava Dumpling" feature a strong
calypso sound and are billed to Count Libby, so it is possible this
is not actually Lebby.
For a period in the mid-1950s, it appears that
Lord Lebby performed as the lead singer for Count Barry, though
it does not appear that any recordings were made bearing that name.
An account of a 1966 meeting at
the Montego Beach Hotel was supplied by a frequent visitor to that resort:
He was a big man,
heavier than on the LP jacket at that time with yellow eyes. I remember
asking him about the name "Lord Lebby". He told us that it was a couple he
had met from Lebanon who suggested the name. A few days after our first
meeting he showed up at The Montego Beach Hotel carrying a rumba box. I must
have made some indication that I wanted one and Lebby was nice enough to get
one for me.
Golden Age Singles
Lebby then released a great string of rural mento
78 RPM singles for Khouri's Kalypso label that produced some classic
sides. On all these tracks, he was backed by the talented The Jamaican
Calypsonians,
playing classic rural mento instrumentation: banjo, acoustic guitar,
hand percussion and rumba box. Several of the songs are written from the
point of view of a Jamaican living in London, raising the possibility that
Lebby spend some time there.
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From 1955, the A
and B side of a famous Lord Lebby single:
"Dr. Kinsey Report"
backed with
"Etheopia" |
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To the left
is the same single, re-released as a 45.
The sides of this single feature vastly
different lyrical content. |
| "Dr. Kinsey Report" celebrates the social scientist who caused a sensation with the
publication of "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" in 1948 and "Sexual
Behavior in the Human Female" in 1953. It a good example of a two of mento's
lyrical traditions: songs that comments on the news of the day and
songs that have ribald content.
"Etheopia", in contrast, deal with
far more serious subject matter. It is
considered the earliest recorded (mid-1950s) back-to-Africa song; a theme
that became so prevalent decades later in reggae. As in Bunny Wailer's
"Dreamland" (to name one example), Africa is an idealized paradise,
fulfilling all basic and spiritual needs. This track has been
covered by several artists, including the aforementioned
Bunny Wailer. (However, the
authorship of this song is contested.) Great rural
playing, vocals and lyrics make this a classic mento single! And judging by
the relative ease in finding this single (compared to any other mento 78),
it must have been a very big hit . Buy the compilation CD
Boogu Yagga Gal, and you can hear both of these tracks and read the
lyrics as well. ("Dip And Fall Back" is another CD
compilation that includes both sides of this single. "Jamaica Mento - Authentic
Recording" also includes "Etheopia ".)
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Aless famous
Lord Lebby 10" 78 RPM single and its subsequent (better
sounding) re-release on
45, both on the Kalypso label:
"Hol'Im Joe" b/w "Bargie".
Unlike the previous record, which featured
original songs, Lebby chose
two mento classics for this record. These are vibrant and enjoyable renditions of these oft recorded songs. Because these
tracks are favorites of mine and they are not in print, here are song clips
of
Bargie
and
Hol'im Joe.
[Click here for notes About the Audio Clips On this Site.] |
 
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A third
Lord Lebby Kalypso 78, complete with water damage, and its
subsequent (better sounding) re-release on 45,
Sweet Jamaica b/w
Mama No Want No Rice No Peas
"Sweet Jamaica" may
be based on a 1948 recording by Lord Kitchener. It's a tale of the
difficulties of immigrating to London, which, at one point, Lebby refers to
as "Babylon". This may be the first such recorded use of this
term in such context. Between this and the theme of Etheopia, the
case can be made that Lord Lebby and the Jamaican Calypsonians are
Jamaica's original cultural |
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recording artists. They recorded Garveyite
themes more than ten years before Burning Spear, and showed a nascent rasta
sensibility fifteen years before rastafari became synonymous with reggae music.
Mama No Want No Rice No Peas is a cover of the old jazz standard, first
recorded in the 1930s by Count Bassie and many others. It is said to have
originated in Nassau, Bahamas. It's a faithful cover,
but done with rural mento instrumentation and is quite nice. Because these
tracks are favorites of mine and they were not in print when this site was
created, here are song clips
of
Sweet Jamaica
and
Mama No Want No Rice No Peas.
[Click here for notes About the Audio Clips On this Site.] A less
interesting remake of the latter track would appear on one of the
Valmark CDs. The lyrics to "Sweet Jamaica" are
below. In 2006, both sides of this single saw their first re-release in 50
years with their inclusion on the CD compilation "Dip
And Fall Back". |
"Sweet
Jamaica" by Lord Lebby
Thousands of
people are asking me
how I spend my time in London city
No doubt that is a question I can not answer
I regret the day I left sweet Jamaica
and if it wasn't my position
'cause I nearly die there of starvation
Jamaica Jamaica, my darling, I'm bound to remember, darling
Jamaica Jamaica I'm have an[?] failure
[could be "heart failure" or a failure"]
This is a thing bugging me:
Is the food control in London city
Now if you do not have a ration book
friend, you can not just put on something to cook
You know the weekly rations are small
In a day or two you can tour it all
and before I say [?]
[sounds like "ration pop"]
I go back to ackee and salt fish in Jamaica
My darling, Jamaica Jamaica, I'm bound to remember, darling
Jamaica Jamaica I'm have an[?] failure
[could be "heart failure" or a failure"]
Many West Indians are crying out
because they left their countries and don't know how
Some left their jobs and their families
and determined to go to London city
Yes they are crying, they now regret
No kind of employment that they can get
The city of London they got roped
they cant find their passes to go back home
My darling, Jamaica Jamaica, I'm bound to remember, darling
Jamaica Jamaica I'm bound I'm bound to remember
During the winter in Great Britain
when I miss Jamaica for Babylon
If I had wings like an airplane
I would fly to that blessed country again
Where you get the sunshine in every day
and the lovely beach at Montego Bay
These are the things that I remember
that cause me to gwine back to Jamaica
My darling, Jamaica Jamaica, I'm bound to remember, darling
Jamaica Jamaica I'm have an[?] failure
[could be "heart failure" or a failure"]
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Well, it isn't pretty, but labels
from Lord Lebby's "Jingle Bells Calypso" are not easy to come by!
The b-side is "Blood Shot Eyes". |
Jingle Bell Calypso proves a few things. First, there
was at least one golden age mento Christmas song, replete with the melody of
Jingle Bells played on banjo. Second, it further broadens the diversity of
Lebby's Kalypso releases. Although it's the same band and
instrumentation, this song is a bit unhinged, compared to the controlled
sound heard on Lebby's other Kalypso tracks. The vocals are a bit
crazed, as Lebby adds all manner of scats and sounds over the choruses as he
is downright giddy about the coming party he describes in the lyrics below. Even though Lord Lebby seems to have
started conscious Jamaican music, in this song, he is carefully
orchestrating a Christmas party. With his enthusiastic specifications for the
required liquor, it looks like Lebby throws one hell of a Christmas party! Because it is a favorite of mine
and it's not in print, here is a song clip of
Jingle Bell Calypso. [Click here for
notes About the Audio Clips On this Site.]
"Jingle Bells
Calypso" by Lord Lebby
Have you
bought your ration?
it's Christmas right here in Britain
Thousands of people walk on the streets
with the celebration of Christmas eve
Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh
Don't be reluctant,
your liquor is most important
Two gallons of whiskey
with champagne and Morgan's brandy
Gin and cherry must be had
That's the latest drink down in Trinidad
Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one house open sleigh
Haven got your liquor
please contract your nearest butcher
With chicken and turkey, hamburger [?] be sure it's plenty
Christmas here now is very grand
for women, children and every man
Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one house open sleigh
Now, Christmas make you happy
The children dance and they are feeling merry
Piccadilly Circus, they sing and dance around the area
Hip hip hip hooray, with the celebration of Christmas day.
Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride on a one house open sleigh
The b-side is
a good cover of "Blood Shot Eyes",
a R&B hit in the early 1950s for Wynonie Harris, and originally an American
country recording by Hank Penny from 1950. In Lloyd Bradley's
excellent book on reggae and the dancehall, "Bass Culture", he states that
Harris' version was a favorite at dances from 1951 through 1953. Not
surprisingly, Lebby's version features R&B influenced vocals over mento-R&B
played on rural instruments.
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The same recording
of
"Blood Shot Eyes", this time with "One Little Love[r]" on the
flip.The latter allows Lebby's banjo
player to show off his skills, as Lebby's R&B-influenced vocal leads one to
believe that this track is a cover version. (If it is, I can't place it.) A
fine track. |
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Courtesy of Robert
Schoenfeld of
Nighthawk Records and
Roots Natty Roots fame for the first 4 and
Richard Noblett of London for the last two are six Lord Lebby
releases on the Montego Beach Hotel Gift Shop
label. Lebby is now backed by The Montego Beach Hotel Calypso
Band, though their instrumentation is the same classic rural
mento as his previous band. Since he is apparently recording these
strictly for the tourist trade, the songs are popular Jamaican songs
rather than conscious themes. An the music, though fine, is
less intense than the Kalypso tracks. |
 
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Noisy Spring
b/w:
Too Late Kitch
The writing credit for "Noisy
Spring" is given to banjo player Eddie Brown. He was also
credited as the writer of this song when he and Reynolds Calypso
Band recorded it on MRS.
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Marian
b/w:
Tomato
(Sorry, a large image of
Marian is not available .) |
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Blood Shot Eyes b/w:
Take Her To JamaicaThis is a remake
of the version above on Kalypso. |
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One more Lord
Lebby single on Montego Beach Hotel Gift Shop
label: "Wheel and Tun Me".
The flip side is "Doctor Kinsey Report".
This is a very similar version to the above version
released on Kalypso. However I believe it's a re-recording of
their big hit. Because it is a
favorite of mine and it's not in print, here is a song clip of
"Wheel and Turn Me". [Click here for
notes About the Audio Clips On this Site.] |
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On the
Kalypso label, a single by Lord Lebby, with Orchestra by
The Kalypsonians:
Island In The Sun b/w:
Destiny
"Destiny" has new lyrics set to the melody
from "Yellow Bird". |
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Perhaps released in the 1960s, this single is a departure from the
classic rural sounds Lebby had recorded to this point. The sound is
dominated by electric guitar, as was the case with his 1960s LP
below. Maracas and hand drum keep a foot in the
rural camp. But the vocals sounds lean towards the non-mento style of
the single below. |
Non-Mento
Singles
Lebby also recorded in styles other than
mento.
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A 45 on
Kalypso by Lord Lebby and His Calypsonians:
Endlessly b/w:
Scarlet Ribbons
Only the song selections and the legend
"Vocal" warn that there would be a very non-mento sound on this single.
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A very early Chris Blackwell
production on the R&B label, a
Lord Lebby with the Caribs 45 RPM single:
Caldonia b/w:
One Kiss For My Baby
Full blown R&B, with a rough
voiced Lebby holding his own in this genre. |
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Here's the
same single as above, but this time on the Starlite label.
Starlite re-released singles on the Jamaican R&B imprint in the
UK. |
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One source found
Lebby's "Caldonia" a R&B track worthy enough to be included on a compilation
LP along with tracks from Slim Harpo, Howlin' Wolf, Lloyd Price
and other less known artists. The LP is "Stompin' Volume 2" on the
Stompin' label. |
Golden Age
Album
In addition to releasing a number of Lord Lebby singles , The Montego Beach Hotel
Gift Shop label also released an album of 78s, and then an LP that
collected many of these sides. These are, to my knowledge, the only 1950s albums of Lebby's and
the only time that any of his tracks appeared on any golden-age album.
Complete with tie string is an album of four 78
RPM singles entitled, "Selected Recordings of the Calypso Band of The
Montego Beach Hotel, Montego Bay, Jamaica, B. W. I.".
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Inside are three Lord Lebby singles on the Montego Beach Hotel Gift Shop
label: Take Her
to Jamaica b/w Blood Shot Eyes
Marian b/w Tomato
Wheel and Turn Me b/w
Doctor Kinsey Report
plus a Lord Kitchner single on Melodisc,
"Wife and Mother", backed with "Mango Tree". |
The inclusion of the last disc seems odd, but there is no way to be sure
what was in this album when it was sold.
Sharing many tracks with the album immediately above, below is the
LP, "Souvenir Album". The group is billed as The Montego Beach Hotel Calypso
Band, with no mention of Lord Lebby whatsoever, unlike the
singles, where he is credited as the vocalist.
The front cover predictably features a photo
of the hotel. But the back cover does offer a very nice band shot. Detail
can be seen
below.
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Side 1:
1. Limbo
2. Back To Back
3. Red Head
4. Matilda |
Side 2:
1. Maintenance
2. Mary Ann
3. Bloodshot Eyes
4. Hold 'Im Joe
5. Jamaica Fashion |
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"Jamaica Fashion" is a remake of
the Kalypso side "One
Little Lover". "Hold 'Im Joe" is also a remake of the recording on Kalypso. |
Inside of the jacket, I was surprised to find
mimeographed typed lyrics, as seen below. Not each of the LP's 9 songs are
represented, but there are lyrics for a total of 13 songs. This is most
extensive set of printed mento lyrics I've seen.
Mainten-
ance
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Hold
'Em
Joe |
Blood
Shot
Eyes |
Dr.
Kinsey
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Island
In The
Sun |
Jamaica
Fashion
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Mary
Ann
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Back
To
Back |
Matilda
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Red
Head
|
Take Her
To
Jamaica |
Tom-
ato
|
Too
Late
Kitch |
Middle Period
LPs
An LP on the Kalypso label, "Lord Lebby
Sings Favorite Calypsos". Photos of golden age mento
performers are rare, so this middle period LP
jacket photo is a find. The jacket has two more bonuses: first, biographical
info in the liner notes (another rarity) and, on this copy, a Lord Lebby
autograph. If only the music was as exciting! As was
often the case with middle period LPs by golden age stars, the music just
pales by comparison. There's certainly nothing wrong with Lebby's vocals,
but the instrumentation (banjo has been replaced with electric guitar, sax
has been added and the only percussion is maracas) is just not as exciting as his
earlier recordings. Ken Khouri was the producer, cementing the career long
relationship between these men.
| The inclusion of "Danny Boy" seemed odd to me
until Dan Neely explained that Danny Boy
was a very popular song in Jamaica because of Sil Austin's recording. It
even became one of Sugar Belly's signature songs.
As if there was any doubt, Matthias Münchow provides a scan of the Jamaican
pressing of Austin's 1959 hit single. |
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The liner notes give some idea of Lebby's travels
later in his career. At some point after he left the Montego Beach Hotel
(and Gift Shop label), he began a residency at the Casa Montego Hotel for at
least eight years, interrupted by a three year stint, where Lebby toured the
US and Canada. The autograph on another copy of this LP, courtesy again of
Matthias Münchow, shows that Lebby was performing and autographing this
LP in 1967. |
This obscure Lord Lebby recording was issued on
the NYC based Deryck Waring Recordings label and is entitled "Cosco
In Jamaica at Miranda Hill With Lord Lebby". Although I haven't heard
this recording, it was described to me as follows:
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It's a live
performance: you can hear the people in the club talking and clapping. Lebby
talks back to them at some points, and at other times you can hear glasses
clanking, etc. At the beginning an announcer introduces a man named
Marshall Dylan. He goes to the mike and talks a little while about Lord
Lebby. In the background Lebby starts out playing and singing a song about
how everybody loves a Saturday night. This song takes up the whole first
side of the LP and a portion of the other side. He incorporates the names
and personal stories of many of the people staying at Miranda Hill into the
song. After this song, he does a few more like "Yellow Bird", "Rum and Coca
Cola", etc. Besides his guitar, the only other instruments I could hear
sounded like a stand up bass, and possibly a tom tom drum. There is no banjo |
Sorry, a larger version of this image is not
available. |
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