The legendary Twinkle Brothers are to perform their blend of infectious Jamaican reggae sounds at the Komedia Brighton on Gardner Street on Thursday 7th February with support coming from Brighton’s very own Dubious Roots.
The Twinkle Brothers were formed in 1962 by brothers Norman (vocals, drums) and Ralston Grant (vocals, rhythm guitar) from Falmouth, Jamaica. This was the same year that the instantly recognisable flag of Jamaica was adopted (on 6 August 1962, the original Jamaican Independence Day). It is the only current national flag in the world that does not feature any of the colours red, white, or blue.
The Twinkle Brothers band was then expanded with the addition of Eric Barnard (piano), Karl Hyatt (vocals, percussion), and Albert Green (congas, percussion).
After winning local talent competitions, they recorded their first single, ‘Somebody Please Help Me’, in 1966 for producer Leslie Kong. This was followed by sessions for other top Jamaican producers such as Duke Reid, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sid Bucknor, Phil Pratt, and Bunny Lee. The band worked in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s on the island’s hotel circuit, playing a mixture of calypso, soul, pop, and soft reggae, and in the early 1970’s, they began producing their own recordings. Their debut album, ‘Rasta Pon Top’, was released in 1975, featuring strongly-Rastafari-oriented songs such as ‘Give Rasta Praise’ and ‘Beat Them Jah Jah’.
As well as producing Twinkle Brothers work, Norman Grant also produced other artists since the mid-1970’s, including several albums by E.T. Webster. In 1977, the band were signed to Virgin Records’ Frontline label, leading to the release of the ‘Love, Praise Jah’, and ‘Countrymen’ albums. When the band were dropped by Virgin Records in the early 1980’s, Norman Grant moved to the United Kingdom, and carried on effectively as a solo artist, but still using the Twinkle Brothers name, and continued with regular releases well into the 2000’s, mainly on his own Twinkle label.
The current Twinkle Brothers lineup according to Wikipedia is Norman Grant – Vocals (1962–present), Ralston Grant – Vocals, Rhythm guitar (1962–present), Dub Judah – Bass (1990–present), Black Steel – Guitar (1986–present), Jerry Lions – Guitar (1987–present), Derek “Demondo” Fevrier – Engineer (1986–present), Barry Prince – Drums (2004–present) and Aron Shamash – Keyboards (2004–present).
Support on the night will come from Brighton based Ska Dub outfit Dubious Roots, who are Jon Austin, Augustus Floyd, Ruth Augilera, Brendon Faulknor, Rob Wickens and Hugo Ellis. They bring a contagious reggae vibe mixed with feel good grooves and dub tones. Lyrically Reflecting reality in everyday emotions via hard edge male vocals and soulful female melodies, this feeds crowds with energy and excitement! After already sharing a stage with the likes of Gentleman’s Dub Club, Backbeat Soundsystem, Kioko, Dennis Bovell, Macka B. & Capt. Accident. Dubious Roots have exciting paths ahead of them. Listen to them HERE.
Purchase your concert tickets HERE.
