Dennis Alcapone

Although U-Roy earned the nickname "the Originator," Dennis Alcapone joined him and Big Youth in the early 1970s to form a ruling triumvirate of Jamaican toasters. Emerging from the sound-system scene, the three propelled the art of DJing to unprecedented levels on radio. U-Roy had already launched his debut single in 1969, yet Dennis Smith, born in Clarendon, Jamaica, on August 6, 1947, prepared his own entry after relocating to Kingston and adopting a new name. In 1969 he teamed with Lizzy and Samuel the First to establish the El Paso Hi-Fi sound system, whose dominance quickly became legendary. His earliest recordings appeared on singles for Niney Holness and Rupie Edwards, where his rhyming patter, exuberant interjections, and fidelity to the rhythm instantly drew widespread notice.

Clement "Coxsonne" Dodd moved swiftly to secure the young DJ for Studio One, still resentful that U-Roy had left his sound system for Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle and now sat atop the Jamaican chart. Granted access to the label’s catalog, Alcapone cut numerous landmark sides that directly challenged U-Roy’s supremacy. Versions of tracks by Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, John Holt, the Heptones, and Carlton & the Shoes poured forth; his exuberant “Forever Version” of the latter group’s “Love Me Forever” supplied the title for his debut album, a collection that mirrored U-Roy’s Versions Galore in both content and intent. Parallel sessions with Keith Hudson yielded further gems, including “Spanish Amigo,” a treatment of Ken Boothe’s “Old Fashioned Way” in which Alcapone answered as well as overlaid the original lines.

By 1971 virtually every producer sought his services; despite Dodd’s objections, Alcapone shifted to Bunny Lee and scored immediate hits with “Ripe Cherry,” a version of “Cherry Oh Baby,” “Horse and Buggy,” a version of “Mule Train,” and the duet “Lorna Banana” with Prince Jazzbo. None matched the impact of “Guns Don't Argue,” a reading of Eric Donaldson’s “Love of the Common People” that introduced firearm imagery into the toaster’s vocabulary. Lee-era singles were later compiled on the 1971 album Guns Don't Argue, reissued by Jamaica Gold. Alcapone next worked at Treasure Isle, where Reid’s 1973 anthology Soul to Soul: DJ's Choice gathered several of his sides alongside those of U-Roy, Lizzy, and Little Youth. Standouts from this period include the 1971 “The Great Woggie,” a version of the Techniques’ “You Don't Care,” and the 1972 chart-topper “Teach the Children,” itself a second version of John Holt’s “Sister Big Stuff” rhythm (originally Jean Knight’s “Mister Big Stuff”). The latter track’s infectious spelling refrain became a staple of Jamaican radio literacy programs.

Despite album artwork that cast him as a tough figure—such as the cannon-straddling cover of Forever Version—Alcapone’s affable manner endeared him to listeners. On “DJ's Choice” he cheerfully recited the catchphrases of rival DJs before offering his own, signaling that he viewed them as colleagues rather than competitors. His reputation reached Britain by 1972, prompting a first U.K. tour after which Swing magazine named him Best DJ of the Year; a second tour proved even more triumphant. Between his 1970 recording debut and the close of 1973 he issued more than 130 singles, among them Phil Pratt’s “This a Butter,” Byron Smith’s “Out the Light,” Byron Lee’s “Go Johnny Go,” Prince Tony’s “Fine Style,” Alvin Ranglin productions such as “King of Kings,” Lee Perry’s “Africa Stands,” and the impeccably timed “My Voice Is Insured for Half a Million Dollars.” Trojan later collected 25 of these tracks on My Voice Is Insured for Half a Million Dollars, while Heartbeat reissued Forever Version and Guns Don't Argue via Jamaica Gold.

In 1974 Alcapone settled in London. The same year brought the uneven Belch It Off, produced by Sydney Crooks, and the Magnet album King of the Track, which mixed older Bunny Lee material with four fresh Count Shelly sides. Magnet soon lost interest, and at home a newer generation displaced him; only a handful of singles appeared between 1975 and 1976. A brief resurgence with Third World yielded Dread Capone, Six Million Dollar Man, and the Bunny Lee-produced Investigator Rock, all completed before the end of 1977, yet none restored his earlier prominence. RAS later assembled Universal Rockers from this period. After withdrawing from music, Alcapone returned to performing in 1988 and captivated audiences at the 1989 WOMAD festival. He resumed collaboration with Bunny Lee upon resettling in Jamaica in 1990. Most subsequent releases remained low-key until the 1997 album 21st Century Version, recorded with Mad Professor. He has continued to record and perform, his most celebrated era now behind him, yet his guiding philosophy endures in the catchphrase “Live it up.”