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The Aggrovators

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

The Aggrovators were a Jamaican dub and reggae band in the 1970s and 1980s, and one of the most important session bands of the producer Bunny Lee. The line-up changed, because Lee used the name for whichever group of musicians he was using at the time. The name came from the record shop Lee ran in the late 1960s, Agro Sounds. Many musicians who later became famous played in it, among them Jackie Mittoo, Sly and Robbie, Tommy McCook and Aston Barrett. Carlton Santa Davis, Earl Chinna Smith, George Fully Fullwood, Ansel Collins, Tony Chin, Bobby Ellis and Vin Gordon were also regular members.

Music and breakthrough

The band recorded Lee's most popular work of the 1970s. The instrumental B-sides of his singles on the Jackpot and Justice labels are usually credited to The Aggrovators, and were mixed by King Tubby. In the mid-1970s, encouraged by Lee, they helped to popularise the so-called flying cymbals sound: a fast, clipped hi-hat pattern that was prominent in roots reggae for a few years after 1974.

Influence

The Aggrovators show how important the session band was in Jamaican music: the rhythm section provided the foundation, after which producers and mixers such as King Tubby made dub versions of it.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a dub track by The Aggrovators and notice the fast, clipped hi-hat pattern and how bass and drums fill the space while the mix keeps dropping parts out.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists