While never revered as ska, roots-reggae or dancehall, rocksteady is arguably the most loved of the Jamaican music forms.

The genre, which produced a series of top-flight vocalists, harmony groups and musicians, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2026 and Observer Online marks that milestone with the 60 Greatest Rocksteady Personalities.

The list is compiled by Jamaica Observer contract writers Howard Campbell and Claude Mills, with assistance from Michael Barnett, a respected broadcaster and rocksteady authority.

The team looked at impact and the significance of contribution in assembling this august table which will be completed by a Top 20 Most Influential People in Rocksteady.

Here are the first 15 personalities on our list, presented in no specific order.

The Hamlins

60 – The Hamlins

A duo that formed in the early 1960s, its best-known members were Alton “Canute” Brown from Jones Town in Kingston and Clarendon-born Egbert “Alphonso” Stewart. Their greatest triumphs came in 1968 with two big hits — Sentimental Reason, made famous by Nat King Cole and Soul And Inspiration, an original by The Righteous Brothers. Those songs were produced by Clement Dodd at Studio One. The Hamlins also recorded songs for producer Lloyd “The Matador” Daley.

Karl Bryan

59 – Karl “Cannonball” Bryan

A graduate of the Alpha Boys School in Kingston, this talented saxophonist was a session musician who played mainly with The Supersonics, house band at producer Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle studio. Bryan, who was once a member of The Skatalites, also had success as an artiste. His instrumental, Red Ash, was later covered by Sly and Robbie while Soul Scorcher is a blazing take on the vaunted Cuss Cuss rhythm. Now in his late 80s, Cannonball Bryan is still musically active in Toronto, Canada.

Rudy Mills

58 – Rudy Mills

Rudy Mills hit the charts at the tail of rocksteady with Long Story and John Jones, both produced by Derrick Harriott. He is from Allman Town in Central Kingston, which was home to several top artistes including Bibi Seaton and The Gaylads. John Jones became a strong seller in the United Kingdom where there was a growing West Indian community in the 1960s. The song also caught on among the Skinheads, restless white youth who had embraced Jamaican culture early that decade. Like many of his contemporaries, Mills migrated overseas and maintained ties with music. He retains a fan base in Europe, the United States West Coast and Mexico.

The Silvertones

57 – The Silvertones

In addition to learning a professional trade, a lot of Jamaican youth formed musical groups during the 1960s. Among them were Delroy Denton, Keith Coley, and Gilmore Grant of The Silvertones. The trio formed in Kingston in 1964, and had a clutch of rocksteady hits with True Confessions and It’s Real for producer Duke Reid. Their biggest hit of the rocksteady era came with Guns Fever, a song produced by Sonia Pottinger, Jamaica’s first female producer. Like many of their contemporaries, The Silvertones’ fortunes declined with the rise of roots-reggae in the 1970s. However, they scored their biggest hit in 1977 for Studio One with Smile, which is driven by the timeless rocksteady sound. Gilmore Grant died in 2016.

Brian Atkinson

56 – Brian Atkinson

A lanky bassist from Hanover, Atkinson is one of the unsung heroes of Jamaican music. Bob Andy considers him one of the finest musicians of the rocksteady era. Atkinson played on most of Andy’s hit songs at Studio One including Too Experienced, Unchained and I’ve Got to Go Back Home. The unassuming Atkinson can also be heard on Delroy Wilson’s Dancing Mood, as well as Moving Away and Puppet on A String by Ken Boothe. For the past 50 years, Brian Atkinson has lived in Canada.

Promotional image featuring The Cables.

55 – The Cables

This harmony trio hit it big in 1968 with Baby Why, a heartfelt lament about love lost. Produced by Clement Dodd for Studio One, it is the first song to feature Leroy Sibbles on bass. The Cables comprised Keble Drummond, Elbert Stewart and Vince Stoddart. They had another massive hit single in the late 1960s with What Kind of World, which addressed global turmoil. The ‘riddim’ for What Kind of World has driven several dancehall hits, including 21 Girl Salute by Barrington Levy and Down by The River by Morgan Heritage. Now based in the United States, The Cables reunited for shows during the 1990s rocksteady revival in Jamaica.

Errol Dunkley

54 – Errol Dunkley

A product of West Kingston, Dunkley began his career at age 14 in 1965. His first hit song was You’re Gonna Need Me, produced by the emerging Joe Gibbs. In 1968, the Denham Town native showed he was no flash in the pan by hitting the charts again with Please Stop Your Lying, again produced by Gibbs. As rocksteady evolved into reggae, Dunkley and Gregory Isaacs, another Denham Town son, started the African Museum label which produced Movie Star. In the 1970s, Dunkley had considerable success with songs like Black Cinderella, A Little Way Different and OK Fred. He continues to record and tour.

Rocksteady group The Tennors rocking the house at Stars R Us.

53 – The Tennors

A trio formed in 1965 by Clive Murohy and Maurice Johnson, The Tennors’ most famous lineup also included Norman Davis. Their signature songs are Pressure And Slide in 1966, and Ride Yuh Donkey which came out one year later. Both songs were produced by Clement Dodd for his Studio One label. Their bouncy rhythms reflect rocksteady’s good-time feel.
Pressure And Slide’s beat has been reworked countless times for hit songs like Mr DC by Sugar Minott and Please Mr Doctor by Hugh Brown. Murphy, who currently lives in South Florida, continues to lead The Tennors on new songs and shows in Europe and North America.

Musician Fil Callender (Photo: United Reggae)

52 – Fil Callender

Born in Panama, Callender moved to Jamaica in his early teens and was raised in Kingston. In the late 1960s, he was one of the drummers at Studio One where he played on big hits such as Equal Rights, On Top, and Party Time by The Heptones, and Larry and Alvin’s Nanny Goat. Callender also played drums on Satta Massagana by The Abyssinians in 1969. Released two years later, the song is regarded as reggae’s ‘national anthem’. In the 1970s, Callender joined the In Crowd as its guitarist. That band also included his younger brother Tony Lewis on bass, Robbie Lyn (keyboards), Mikey “Boo” Richards (drums) and vocalist Sonny Wong. In 2013, Fil Callender was awarded the Order of Distinction, Jamaica’s sixth-highest honour. He died in 2022.

Lloyd Parks

51 – The Termites

This vocal duo featured Lloyd Parks and Wentworth Vernal. They recorded songs like Have Mercy Mr Percy and the album Do the Rocksteady. Other notable songs included Rub Up Push Up, I Made a Mistake, and It Takes Two To Make Love. The Termites were primarily active during the late 1960s and recorded almost exclusively for Clement Dodd’s Studio One label. Parks became a prominent singer, bassist, and founder of We The People Band. He released solo hits such as Slaving and Officially, and waa musical director for many years with Dennis Brown. Parks was awarded the Order Of Distinction in 1999 for his contribution to Jamaican music.

Stranger Cole

50 – Stranger Cole
One of the artistes who made the successful transition from ska to rocksteady, Stranger Cole hails from Denham Town, the West Kingston community that also produced Ken Boothe and Errol Dunkley. His career took off in the early 1960s with songs like Rough and Tough and When You Call My Name, the latter a duet with Patsy Todd. Both songs were produced by Arthur “Duke” Reid. The versatile Stranger Cole adapted to the slower rocksteady beat, and had a strong seller with Just Like A River with Gladstone Anderson. That song was produced by Joe Gibbs. Stranger Cole lived for many years in Canada, helping to introduce Jamaican culture to that country during the 1970s. He still performs in areas where ska and rocksteady are in demand including Australia.

Carlton Manning

49 – Carlton and The Shoes

It’s not often that a music group can credit its name to a mere typo. However, that dubious distinction falls on Carlton and The Shoes, a Jamaican vocal group who had their greatest success in the late 1960s. They owe their odd name to a printer’s error as group leader Carlton Manning originally named them Carlton and His Shades, but a typo on their debut song (for producer Sonia Pottinger) led to the “Shoes” name sticking. The Shoes were completed by Carlton’s younger brothers Donald and Lynford (both future members of The Abyssinians), and Alexander Henry. Although their debut release made little impact, they joined forces with Clement “Coxsone” Dodd at Studio One, and scored a massive hit with Love Me Forever in 1968. Love Me Forever has been covered many times. The single’s B-side, Happy Land, formed the basis for The Abyssinians’ Satta Massagana, one of the most covered songs in reggae. When Donald and Lynford formed The Abyssinians, Carlton remained at Studio One, continuing to make records, and working as a session guitarist. He continued to record through the 1970s and early 1980s, but never repeated his early success. Lynford Manning died on June 25 2024.

Keith (left) and Tex performing at the 2023 Rototom Sunsplash in Spain.

48 – Keith and Tex

After a series of failed auditions in the mid-1960s for a five-member group, Keith and Tex were the last members standing as their colleagues grew disillusioned. Unshaken, the duo auditioned for producer Derrick Harriott where they found success in the late 1960s with Stop That Train (a cover of The Spanishtonians’ ska hit), Tonight, and a cover of The Temptations’ Don’t Look Back. In 1970, Rowe emigrated to The United States while Dixon emigrated to Canada.
Rowe joined the US Army in 1972, staying for 20 years. But he also found time for music, recording as a solo artiste with producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. Keith and Tex began touring again in 2013. They continue to release albums, the latest being 2025’s Gun Life, their third album for the Spanish Liquidator label. They currently perform at major music festivals from Asia to Europe, Australia, and North and South America.

Hortense Ellis

47 – Hortense Ellis

The younger sister of legendary singer Alton Ellis, she is a pioneer female artiste in the rocksteady generation. Born in Trench Town, she was 18 years-old when she appeared on the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour, then Jamaica’s foremost outlet for young talent. During the 1960s, Ellis toured Jamaica with Byron Lee and The Dragonaires. She also recorded for the island’s top producers such as Ken Lack, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and Duke Reid. Dodd paired her with Alton Ellis in a run of duets. The siblings toured Canada in 1970 but once she got married and started a family, her career floundered. Ellis had some success in the late 1970s with Unexpected Places, a song recorded for Gussie Clarke. It was a big hit in Jamaica and Britain where it appeared on the Hawkeye label. She also scored under the moniker Queen Tiney on Downtown Ting, recorded for producer Bunny “Striker” Lee. This song was an ‘answer’ to Althea and Donna’s Uptown Top Ranking, which topped the British national chart in 1978. Ellis spent much of the 1980s in New York City and Miami. Returning to Jamaica in 1989, she began suffering health problems. Hortense Ellis died in a Kingston hospital on October 19 2000 from a stomach infection.

Vincent Edwards

46 – Vin Edwards

Regarded as one of the “Big Three” sound systems alongside Duke Reid’s Trojan and Clement Dodd’s Downbeat, King Edwards The Giant was known for its powerful bass that helped define the slower, heavier rocksteady sound. Operated by brothers Vincent and George Edwards, King Edwards fostered a shift from the uptempo ska beat to the slower, more soulful rocksteady, often featuring musicians like The Carib Beats. Their initial songs were released on the King Edwards label and later, Giant.
Vin Edwards, who died in 2025, was also well known in local horseracing circles. He served as president of the Jamaica Racehorse Trainers Association for over a decade in the 2000s, and was Member of Parliament for St Mary Western, representing the People’s National Party. Vincent famously rejected Jimmy Cliff because “his voice was too fine”. In the early 1960s, the label scored hits such as Shank I Sheck by the Baba Brooks band, I Bet You Don’t Know by Shenley Duffus, I Had A Dream by Lord Tanamo, and Suddenly and Ungodly People by Eric “Monty” Morris.