To mark the 50th anniversary of its biggest selling song, Trojan Records has released a video for Everything I Own by Ken Boothe. The single topped the British pop chart for three weeks in October 1974.

A cover of American group Bread’s 1972 hit song, Boothe’s version was produced by Lloyd Charmers. It was released by Federal Records in Jamaica, and Trojan Records in the United Kingdom.

The visual depicts the happiness of family life, and grief at the loss of relatives. David Gates of Bread wrote the song as a tribute to his father who died in 1963.

Boothe said he first heard the original while visiting Canada in 1973. He recorded his reggae take one year later at Federal Records in Kingston.

Charmers also played organ and percussion on Everything I Own, with Lloyd Parks on bass, Willie Lindo on guitar and Paul Douglas playing drums.

Everything I Own was a hit in Jamaica. It caught the attention of Trojan, an all-reggae label based in London operated by Jamaican Lee Gopthal.

The company initially serviced the song to reggae outlets throughout the UK’s growing West Indian community, before mainstream radio embraced it. It topped the charts and earned Boothe fame in the UK where he performed on major shows such as Top Of The Pops.

Everything I Own was Trojan’s second number one song in three years. Their first was Double Barrel by Dave Barker and Ansel Collins topped the chart in 1971.

Howard Campbell