Capital Letters

Emerging in Wolverhampton, England, during 1972, the ensemble first billed itself as the Alphabets before adopting a fresh identity upon learning of another act sharing that name. Early performances showcased a five-piece lineup of Danny McKenzie on guitar and vocals, Earl Lynch handling keyboards and vocals, Junior Brown on bass guitar, George Scarlet delivering lead guitar, and Wenty Stewart at the drums, which quickly earned them a strong reputation as a soul ensemble on the club circuit. Drawing from their Jamaican heritage, the musicians crafted a sound that captured the everyday realities faced by Black youth across the UK.

Greensleeves Records brought them aboard in 1978, resulting in the hit single “Smoking My Ganja.” That release prompted the Legalise Cannabis Campaign coalition to enlist the group, together with Black Slate and Sir George Hi Fi, for a benefit concert held in spring 1979. Tracks exploring both the appeal and the drawbacks of marijuana consumption helped extend their reach well beyond traditional reggae audiences. A headline run through the college circuit in summer 1979 was followed by multiple European dates, after which they issued “UK Skanking,” a track that eclipsed their earlier effort. Marking the rise of a second wave of English reggae acts, they declared, “UK Skanking it is good / but it doesn’t match up / match up to J.A. style.” Ironically, the single’s dense percussion and bass lines proved every bit as compelling as many contemporary Jamaican recordings. Its flip side, the deliberately endless “Run Run Run,” featured grooves cut to loop without resolution. Those singles appeared on the debut album alongside “Out Of Africa,” “Daddy Was No Murderer,” and the pointed “President Amin,” an oblique salute to the Ugandan leader.

Further acclaim arrived in 1980 when Black Echoes readers named them Best New Band at the Reggae Awards. “President Amin” also secured a national chart entry in Spain, prompting a second, equally successful European tour. Upon returning home the band aligned with the Keynote collective, which championed ethnic-minority artists such as the African-styled Lanzel And Bokoor and the Asian ensemble Punjab Sewak.