Cultural Roots were a Jamaican vocal group formed by Hubert Brooks, Norman Gallimore, and Wayne “Wade” Dyce, active during the 1970s and 1980s. The group’s lineup changed over the years, but it was always led by the deep, warm voice of Hubert Brooks. They recorded excellent albums such as Cultural Roots Dub, Revolutionary Sounds, Drift Away From Evil, Hell A Go Pop, and Pretty Woman. Hell A Go Pop is their finest work, featuring outstanding instrumental support from the Roots Radics band, who delivered some of their very best playing on this album. Not to be forgotten is the album Pretty Woman, which also contains some beautiful tracks. The song “Mama One Song” is one of my favorites, strongly inspired by Black Uhuru. Cultural Roots truly had an original Jamaican sound, with a distinctive vocal signature. All four albums are killers, with Drift Away From Evil being one of their best, as stated by producer Ernest Hoo Kim. They were recorded in studios such as Channel One, Harry J, Aquarius, and Tuff Gong in Kingston, Jamaica. Cultural Roots’ albums were mainly produced by Donovan Germain (with Hell A Go Pop produced by Henry “Junjo” Lawes and Pretty Woman by Phillip Monroe), and featured musicians such as The Revolutionaries and Roots Radics. Henry Junjo Lawes produced the album Hell A Go Pop, and it carried that early-1980s sound, at the very moment when roots reggae was transforming into dancehall. Across ten tracks, the group delivers a heavy roots statement within the early-1980s dancehall era. The result is a powerful musical force, with heavy basslines driving each track, and horn parts provided by the great Dean Fraser and Nambo Robinson. It is a strong ensemble built around 1970s-style harmonies. Cultural Roots’ albums were arranged by Clive Hunt and Dean Fraser, with Errol Brown, Sylvan Morris, O. Murray Maxie, Soljie Hamilton, and Crucial Bunny as sound engineers. Revolutionary Sounds in Dub by Cultural Roots is a hard-to-find album due to its limited pressing. Wayne Dyce is a true reggae dancehall singer with a unique style straight out of Jamaica. His career includes four albums with Cultural Roots. Dyce grew up near Kingston and began singing at the Church of God of Prophecy, where his grandfather was a pastor, and later at a Pentecostal church attended by his aunt. As a teenager in the 1970s, Wayne performed at talent shows and open-mic sessions around Kingston. Wade Dyce is a Jamaican reggae singer now living in Salem, who rose to prominence with the group Cultural Roots.