The Viceroys

Wesley Tinglin relocated to Kingston at the age of twelve and quickly absorbed the intricate vocal harmonies of groups such as the Wailers and the Maytals. He joined Daniel Bernard and Bunny Gayle to form the Viceroys, securing a 1967 session with producer Clement Dodd. Although “Lose and Gain” and “Fat Fish” failed to attract attention, the follow-up tracks “Last Night” and “Ya Ho” fared considerably better. In 1968 the group signed with Derrick Morgan, who oversaw several singles across the next three years, among them “Rebel Nyah,” “Chariot Coming,” and “Lips and Tongue.” During the early seventies the Viceroys also cut sides for Lloyd “Matador” Daley, Lee Perry, Pete Weston, and the Demon label.

After Bunny Gayle’s departure, Tinglin brought Neville Ingram into the lineup. The trio subsequently issued recordings under both the Interns and Viceroys names. Their first full-length album appeared in the late seventies. In 1980 Norris Reid took Daniel Bernard’s place. Through the early eighties the group released a string of singles along with three albums: We Must Unite, Chancery Lane, and Brethren and Sistren. Following an extended break that began in the mid-eighties, Tinglin revived the Viceroys after the turn of the century, retaining Ingram and adding Michael Gabbidon. This configuration recorded Inna de Yard, a live set captured in Earl “Chinna” Smith’s yard in Saint Andrew Parish and issued by Makasound in 2006. The album Why appeared on Luckee Rhythms in February 2018. Wesley Tinglin succumbed to lung cancer that September at the age of seventy-five.