Vocal trio
the Melodians were one of Jamaica's greatest rocksteady groups, cutting a series of classic singles during the late '60s and early '70s that included the internationally famed "Rivers of Babylon" and "Sweet Sensation." The group was formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston in 1963 and included
Tony Brevett (brother of
Skatalites bassist
Lloyd Brevett) and
Brent Dowe, who split lead vocal duties, plus full-time harmony singer Trevor McNaughton. Additional member Rennie Cogle wrote or co-wrote much of their material, and also served as an arranger. In their early days,
the Melodians performed quite successfully in talent shows around Kingston, which eventually led to their first recording session -- for
Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's
Studio One label -- in 1966. Only two of the four tracks were released, and drew little attention.
The Melodians moved over to
Duke Reid's Treasure Isle imprint from 1967-1968, and it was there that they had their first taste of success. Singles like "You Have Caught Me," "Expo 67," "I'll Get Along Without You," "You Don't Need Me" (which featured groundbreaking chatter
U-Roy), and "Come On Little Girl" established them as one of the sweetest-sounding vocal ensembles on the rocksteady scene. After "Come On Little Girl" became a hit in 1968, the group joined up with producer
Sonia Pottinger and scored two more successes that year, "Little Nut Tree" and "Swing and Dine."
The Melodians broke through to a wider international audience when they began recording for producer
Leslie Kong in 1969, an association that resulted in many of their most celebrated songs. "Sweet Sensation" sold quite well in the U.K. as well as Jamaica, and it was eclipsed in both places later that year by the smash "Rivers of Babylon," which became the group's signature tune. "Rivers of Babylon" also marked the emergence of a Rastafarian spiritual consciousness in the group's songwriting, which had heretofore tackled mostly romantic concerns; they would occasionally return to Rasta themes on songs like "Black Man Kingdom Come." Continuing to enjoy significant success with
Kong, they stuck with him until the producer's untimely death in 1971.
The tragedy effectively marked the end of
the Melodians' heyday. They cut a few more records for producers like
Lee "Scratch" Perry,
Harry J, and
Byron Lee's Dynamic Sounds studio and made second go-rounds with both
Pottinger and
Reid. Nothing quite recaptured their success with
Kong, however, and
Dowe left the group in 1973; they disbanded not long after, despite "Rivers of Babylon" finding a whole new audience via its inclusion on
Jimmy Cliff's soundtrack for The Harder They Come.
Dowe and
Brevett both recorded solo singles during the mid-'70s, the former with
Lee Perry. They re-formed
the Melodians in 1976 and re-recorded many of their old hits for
Harry J, but the venture didn't get much further.
The trio reconvened in the early '80s and cut a reunion album of new material, Irie Feeling, in 1983 (the same year
UB40 covered "Sweet Sensation" on their hit Labour of Love album). Irie Feeling failed to re-establish them, but they later found work on the revival circuit and made a living by touring internationally and performing their classics of old.
Dowe died of a heart attack in 2006. The group continued and celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2013 with Lyrics to Riddim, though
Brevett died that year of cancer. McNaughton, Taurus Alphonso, and Winston Dias released a new album as
the Melodians, The Return of the Melodians, in 2017. ~ Steve Huey