Comedy meets rock steady with the return of Alton Ellis
|
Basil Walters, Observer staff reporter
Monday, June 23, 2008
|
 |
| Alton Ellis |
"Oh yeah, Alton coming..." The Godfather of Rock steady, Alton Ellis, who is widely revered for such vintage recordings as Sunday Coming, Christmas Coming and Lord Deliver Us, among many others, has had his prayers answered, and is set to return to the local stage this coming weekend.
He is among the special guest artistes on the fourth annual Comedy Fest put on by Ellis International, family members of the veteran rock steady crooner. This year's renewal will be over two days (June 28 and 29) at The Roof, Portmore Pines Plaza and the Grand Ballroom of the Kingston Hilton Hotel respectively.
In the latter part of last year, local music lovers were distraught when news circulated that Alton Ellis was experiencing life threatening ill-health, and was hospitalised. He is now on the rebound and his appearance on the upcoming Comedy Fest is certainly no joke.
"This is the closest we have come so far to doing our dream show - one that features as many of the Ellis' talents as possible," said well known comedian Owen 'Blakka' Ellis, one of the organisers about the first time merge of music and comedy.
"When Alton was diagnosed with cancer and there were fears that he may not be around for long, he expressed regret that he has never played with his nephew or worked on any of the Ellis International shows. This event will ensure that those regrets are no more, added Blakka who promised "limitless laughter on Sunday and timeless music on Saturday".
Apart from Blakka and his uncle Alton, the other participating members of the Ellis family are Aston 'Robot' Ellis, a 50-year-old veteran who plays the guitar, bass, steel pan and drums. Aston is a member of the duo Steel and Ivory, along with David Oliver, who hails from the Catskill Mountains of New York, and has been a keyboard player for more than 30 years. He once had a stint as a member of Toots and the Maytals outfit.
The other member of the Ellis family that will be featured on the event is Ian Mattison Ellis, aka Ity, who will as usual perform in tandem with his partner Fancy Cat. Rounding off the night of comedy are Chris Spencer from the USA, Jay Martin from Canada, Trixx from Ghana and Ron Josol of the Philippines.
In addition to Alton and Aston Ellis, providing the musical attraction on Saturday night, will be Fab Five and Dance Xpressionnz. The host of the first night is Rosie Murray, while Ms Kitty, will run things on the second night.
|
|
| Related Articles |
| No
related articles were found |
| |
|
|
|
