Dandy Livingstone

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Dandy Livingstone, born Robert Livingstone Thompson in 1943, is a British-Jamaican musician and producer of ska, rocksteady and reggae. At fifteen he moved from Jamaica to London to live with his mother. His first record came out without his knowledge: a tenant in the building recorded a number of jam sessions and released them on the label Planetone. Carnival Records then went looking for a Jamaican vocal duo. Livingstone recorded both voices himself, under the name Sugar & Dandy. The single What a Life sold 25,000 copies. In the early 1960s he made some of the best-selling British ska singles.

Music and breakthrough

In 1967 he signed with Ska Beat Records, where his debut album Rocksteady with Dandy appeared. A year later he moved into production and formed a duo with Audrey Hall. Among other things he produced Suzanne Beware of the Devil by Nicky Thomas and Red Red Wine by Tony Tribe. At Trojan Records he released Dandy Returns, and in 1972 he had a hit of his own with Suzanne Beware of the Devil, which reached number fourteen in the British chart.

Influence

His best-known song of his own is Rudy, a Message to You, on which the trombonist Rico Rodriguez played. The Specials turned it into a hit in 1979. Livingstone also produced singles by Rodriguez under the name Rico & the Rudies. In this way he formed a link between Jamaican music and the British second generation, which later breathed new life into ska.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1968Dandy Returns
• 1969Your Musical Doctor
• 1972Dandy Livingstone
• 1973Conscious
• 1978The South African Experience
• 2020They Call Us Legends
• 2023Rock Steady With Dandy