Biography
Egbert ‘Alphonso’ Stewart, born 31 January 1945 in Clarendon, Jamaica, West Indies, joined forces with Alton ‘Canute’ Brown, born 26 November 1947 in Jones Town, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, to create the vocal duo known as the Hamlins during the early 1960s. They soon added Osmond Brown to strengthen the vocal lineup. The three performers tried out for various talent contests, among them the Ranny Williams Talent Hour and events staged at Kingston’s celebrated Ward Theatre. Duke Reid was impressed enough by their stage presence to offer them studio time at Treasure Isle, yet that association yielded no lasting results. Osmond Brown left for the United Kingdom in 1965, after which Stewart and Brown chose to continue as a pair. Later that autumn, Coxsone Dodd summoned them to Studio One, where they cut a string of successful sides. Among these was the notable single ‘Trying To Keep A Good Man Down’, whose flip side, ‘Oh My Darling’, featured backing vocals from Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Rita Marley. Their next release, ‘Soul & Inspiration’, became their strongest commercial success; like its predecessor, it was backed by another prominent reggae act, the Ethiopians. Additional chart entries included ‘Tell Me That You Love Me’, ‘Sentimental Reasons’, ‘Get In The Groove’ and ‘Everyone Got To Be There’.
Over subsequent decades, Studio One enthusiasts continued to value the Hamlins’ work, sustaining interest through successive vinyl reissues until compact discs appeared. Early recognition arrived via the compilations Get Ready Rock Steady and the Studio One Sales Conference. Only in 2001 did Brown and Stewart finally issue a complete album, for which Dodd reassembled the veterans to revisit both fresh material and 1960s classics such as ‘Hurt My Feelings’ and ‘Get In The Groove’. At that point the singers had reached their fifties, and listeners still chiefly associated them with the earlier recordings rather than the later project.
Over subsequent decades, Studio One enthusiasts continued to value the Hamlins’ work, sustaining interest through successive vinyl reissues until compact discs appeared. Early recognition arrived via the compilations Get Ready Rock Steady and the Studio One Sales Conference. Only in 2001 did Brown and Stewart finally issue a complete album, for which Dodd reassembled the veterans to revisit both fresh material and 1960s classics such as ‘Hurt My Feelings’ and ‘Get In The Groove’. At that point the singers had reached their fifties, and listeners still chiefly associated them with the earlier recordings rather than the later project.