The Royals

The Royals

The Royals were a Jamaican roots reggae vocal group formed in 1964 by Roy Cousins. They continued to record, with a varying line-up until the mid-1980s.

History
The earliest line-up of the group featured Cousins along with Bertram Johnson and Errol Green, initially under the name The Tempests. Green had been the lead vocalist, but departed to be replaced by Errol Wilson, who worked with Cousins at the Jamaican Post Office. They recorded in the mid-1960s for producers including Duke Reid, Lloyd Daley, and Coxsone Dodd (the original version of "Pick Up the Pieces" (1967), which Dodd rejected at the time), but their first release was not until 1968, with "Never See Come See" for Joe Gibbs. After a few more well-received singles, Cousins disbanded the group and took a two-year break, saving money from his Post Office job. Cousins then set up his own 'Tamoki', 'Wambesi', and 'Uhuru' labels, issuing "Down Comes The Rain". In 1971, The Royals re-recorded "Pick Up the Pieces", with Lloyd Forest temporarily replacing Wilson, its success prompting Dodd to issue the original version (still credited to The Tempests), which was also popular, its riddim being used by several other artists since. More releases in a similar vein followed during the 1970s, these later collected on the album Pick Up the Pieces in 1978, released by Mo Claridge's newly formed Mojo distribution. The line-up changed again in 1975, with Cousins recruiting new members to replace his former colleagues who moved to Channel One Studios and recorded as The Jays. The success of Pick Up the Pieces led to a deal with United Artists, with two more studio albums (Ten Years After and Israel Be Wise) following, but Cousins then increasingly concentrated on producing other artists. Pick Up the Pieces was reissued in 2002 by Pressure Sounds.

Discography (6)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Israel Be Wise The Royals Israel Be Wise UAG 30206 LP Ballistic 1978 1978
Ten Years After The Royals Ten Years After UAS 30189 LP Ballistic 1978 1978
Moving On The Royals Moving On KVL 9006 LP Kingdom 1981 1981
1964-1981 Sweat The Royals 1964-1981 Sweat CD Tamoki Wambesi 1964-81 2005
Pick Up The Pieces The Royals Pick Up The Pieces DEAD 1004 LP Magnum 1977 1977
Dubbing With The Royals The Royals Dubbing With The Royals PSCD 44 CD Pressure Sounds 197X 2004

Credits & Appearances (6)

Musicians
Backing Band 1
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Dubbing With The Royals The Royals Dubbing With The Royals PSCD 44 CD Pressure Sounds 197X 2004
Vocals 2
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Pick Up The Pieces The Royals Pick Up The Pieces DEAD 1004 LP Magnum 1977 1977
Ten Years After The Royals Ten Years After UAS 30189 LP Ballistic 1978 1978

Also Appears On (30)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Full Up Various Artists Full Up CDHB 302 CD Heartbeat 2006
Studio One Groups Various Artists Studio One Groups SJRCD 151 CD Soul Jazz 2006
The Best Of Studio One Collection Various Artists The Best Of Studio One Collection CDHB 326 CD Heartbeat 2006
Duke Reid Rock's Steady Various Artists Duke Reid Rock's Steady TJDDD 363 CD Trojan 1967 2007
Greetings From The Pioneers The Pioneers Greetings From The Pioneers DBCDD 084 CD Doctor Bird 1968 2021
Reggae Jeggae Various Artists Reggae Jeggae JGECD 009 CD Joe Gibbs Europe 1968-69 2006
Trojan Revive Box Set Various Artists Trojan Revive Box Set TJETD 029 CD Trojan 1968-69 2002
Joe Gibbs Mood Various Artists Joe Gibbs Mood CDTRL 394 CD Trojan 1968-71 1998
Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set Various Artists Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set TJETD 003 CD Trojan 196X 2002
Duke Reid's Treasure Chest Various Artists Duke Reid's Treasure Chest CDHB 95 CD Heartbeat 196X-7X 1992
Down In A Tenement Yard Various Artists Down In A Tenement Yard TJDDD 352 CD Trojan 1973-80 2007
Roots, Vibes & Vision Various Artists Roots, Vibes & Vision TWLP 1025 LP Tamoki Wambesi 1975-83
Vision Of Reggae Various Artists Vision Of Reggae TWLP 1007 LP Tamoki Wambesi 1977-82 1986
Ballistic 2nd Assault Various Artists Ballistic 2nd Assault SAM 101 LP Ballistic 1978 1978
Ballistic Sureshots Various Artists Ballistic Sureshots SAM 100 LP Ballistic 1978 1978
Earthman Connection Baba Dread Earthman Connection TWCD 1044 CD Tamoki Wambesi 1978-79 2007
For Lovers And Rockers Vol 1 Various Artists For Lovers And Rockers Vol 1 WARLP 2003 LP Warrior 1979 1979
History Of Tamoki Wambesi Various Artists History Of Tamoki Wambesi TWDV 1002 LP Tamoki Wambesi 1979-84 1985
Ranking Miss P Presents Sweet Harmony Various Artists Ranking Miss P Presents Sweet Harmony TJDDD 101 CD Trojan 197X 2003
Real Authentic Reggae Volume One Various Artists Real Authentic Reggae Volume One BBECD 105 CD BBE 197X 2008
Stand And Give Praise Various Artists Stand And Give Praise SPECXX 2043 CD Trojan 197X 2010
Trojan Rockers Box Set Various Artists Trojan Rockers Box Set TJETD 338 CD Trojan 197X 2006
Flowers In The Desert Various Artists Flowers In The Desert VSLP 2010 LP Vista 1983 1983
Herb Dust Vol 1 Various Artists Herb Dust Vol 1 KVC 6001 LP Kingdom 1983 1983
Herb Dust Various Artists Herb Dust TWCD 1054 CD Tamoki Wambesi 198X 2022
Original Yardie Various Artists Original Yardie TWLP 1059 LP Tamoki Wambesi 198X
Reggae Sunsplash Showcase Various Artists Reggae Sunsplash Showcase CD Tamoki Wambesi 198X
Roy Cousins Presents Wambesi All Stars Various Artists Roy Cousins Presents Wambesi All Stars CDHB 35 CD Heartbeat 198X 1986
Trojan Rastafari Box Set Various Artists Trojan Rastafari Box Set TRBCD 022 CD Trojan 198X 2000
Wambesi Showcase Various Artists Wambesi Showcase CDHB 3602 CD Heartbeat 198X 1995
6 albums
6 credits
5 labels
1977 - 2004