Thanks to Harry Hawks‘ biographical portrait of master percussionist (& sometime vocalist) Uziah ‘Sticky‘ Thompson for Reggae Collector’s Artists Hall of Fame, we learn that (1) ‘Sticky’ gets a shout-out in the intro to Baba Brooks’ “Girls Town Ska” from 1965 [Q: “Hey Sticks, where you going tonight?” A: “I’m going down by Girls Town”] and (2) Thompson firmly asserts that it is he – not Baba Brooks – who voiced the ’65 ska classic “Guns Fever“!
“Guns Fever“
Uziah ‘Sticky‘ Thompson [?] & Baba Brooks Band (1965)
Hawks writes that “[Thompson (whose birthname is alternately spelled Uzziah)] recalled, ‘I also did a song for Duke Reid named “Gun Fever”‘… which was credited to the Baba Brooks Band.”
“A classical, highly influential deejay who was great at his job before there was ever a job description,” continues Hawks, “he was rarely credited on his releases and the only way the listener knows it’s Cool Sticky is by recognising his exciting, highly individual delivery.”
(photo courtesy of Discogs)
Note how often collectors are willing to pay three figures (and higher) for original vinyl.
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