Thursday, April 07, 2016

Day 159 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Mighty Diamonds - I Need A Roof

I can't believe it has taken me 158 days before I got around to featuring a track by the Mighty Diamonds but here it is and it's an absolute classic!  "I Need A Roof" was originally released on their 1976 debut album Right Time produced by Joseph Hoo Kim and Ossie Hibbert on the Well Charge label.  The vocal trio of Donald "Tabby" Shaw, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson and Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson got together in Trenchtown in 1969 and originally called themselves The Limelight, and modeled their singing and on-stage choreography on Motown groups at the time.  They became the Mighty Diamonds when Shaw's mother began calling them The Diamonds.  In their early years they cut a heap of tracks for a host of producers and scored their first real hit in 1973 with the tune "Shame And Pride" for producer Pat Francis.  But it was the Mighty Diamonds work at Channel One that really catapulted them to superstar status worldwide and today's track is a clear example of why... great harmonies, a great message, some sweet sax add up to an all-around awesome tune!

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