Ken Boothe

What you have here is Ken Boothe’s only album for Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s Records. It is a collection of the singles he recorded whilst there.

The title track written by his good friend and label mate Harris Seaton became an anthem of intent. It struck a chord with the Jamaican public becoming a huge hit and an early Reggae Classic.

As Rock Steady gave way to Reggae at the end of the sixties Ken Boothe was in as prime a position as Bob Marley or Jimmy Cliff to take the genre on to the international success that beckoned.

Freedom Street is an important artefact and classic Beverley’s album. As well as other Seaton compositions it covers all sorts of different ground. The Otis Redding inspired version of satisfaction, Mungo Jerry’s smash hit of the moment In the Summertime and The Royalettes girl group hit It’s gonna take a miracle are three cover versions. Drums of Freedom and Love and Unity point the way to what would typify Reggae in the coming generation.

The two bonus tracks takes us back to Ken’s Soul singer days but with an almost psychedelic twist to it.