Culture

Culture

Culture are a Jamaican roots reggae group founded in 1976. Originally they were known as the African Disciples. The one constant member until his death in 2006 was Joseph Hill.

History
The group formed in 1976 as the vocal trio of Joseph Hill (formerly a percussionist in Studio One house band the Soul Defenders), his cousin Albert "Ralph" Walker, and Roy "Kenneth" Dayes, initially using the name The African Disciples. Roy Dayes also used the name "Kenneth Paley", which is the name that appears on the Culture records released by Virgin Records. The African Disciples soon changed their name to Culture, and auditioned successfully for the "Mighty Two": producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol Thompson. While at Gibbs' studio, they recorded a series of singles, starting with "See Dem a Come" and including "Two Sevens Clash" (which predicted the apocalypse on 7 July 1977), many of which ended up on their debut album Two Sevens Clash. The song was sufficiently influential that many in Kingston stayed indoors on 7 July, fearing that the prophecy would come true. A second Gibbs-produced album, Baldhead Bridge, followed in 1978, by which time the group had moved on to record for producer Sonia Pottinger. The group entered into a long-running dispute with Gibbs over royalties to the first album. Two Sevens Clash meanwhile had become a big seller in the United Kingdom, popular with punk rock fans as well as reggae fans and boosted by the support of John Peel on his BBC Radio 1 show, and reached number 60 on the UK Albums Chart in April 1978. This prompted Virgin Records to sign the group to its Front Line label, releasing Harder than the Rest (1978) and International Herb (1979). Culture also released records on other labels in Jamaica, including a dub version of Harder than the Rest, Culture in Dub (1978, High Note), and an album of different recordings of the same album, Africa Stand Alone (April 1978). An album recorded for Pottinger in 1979 with a working title of Black Rose remained unreleased until tracks emerged in 1993 on Trod On. Culture performed at the One Love Peace Concert in 1978. In 1981 the three singers went their own ways. Hill carried on using the Culture name, and recorded the Lion Rock album, which was reissued in the United States by Heartbeat Records. Hill and his new band recorded a session for long time supporter John Peel in December 1982, and the group went on to record further studio sessions for Peel in 1998 and 2002, and their performance at the Royal Festival Hall in July 1998 was broadcast on his show. For their part, Walker and Dayes recorded a handful of songs on their own; a few of which turned up on an album titled Roots & Culture. Hill performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1985 and in 1986 the original line-up reformed to record two highly regarded albums - Culture in Culture and Culture at Work. Several albums followed in the 1990s on Shanachie Records and Ras Records, often recorded with Sly and Robbie, with Dayes leaving the group again around 1994, with Reginald Taylor replacing him. Dayes subsequently worked as a solo artist under the name Kenneth Culture. By 2001 Telford Nelson had replaced Taylor. Joseph Hill, who came to symbolise the face of Culture, died in Berlin, Germany on 19 August 2006 while the group was on tour, after collapsing following a performance. His son, Kenyatta Hill, who had acted as the group's sound engineer on tour, performed with his father's band at the Western Consciousness show in 2007, which was dedicated to Joseph Hill, and became the lead singer of Culture; Walker and Nelson continue to provide backing vocals. In 2011, Live On was released, featuring Kenyatta's performances of his father's songs, including "Two Sevens Clash" and "International Herb".

Albums (12)

Two Sevens Clash
Joe Gibbs • 1977
Baldhead Bridge
Joe Gibbs • 1978
Culture In Dub
Sky Note • 1978
Cumbolo
Virgin • 1979
Trod On
Heartbeat • 197X
More Culture
Joe Gibbs • 1981
Lion Rock
Culture Featuring Joseph Hill
Sonic Sounds • 1982
Roots & Culture
Jah Guidance • 1982
Culture In Culture
Music Track • 1986
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Two Sevens Clash Culture Two Sevens Clash DSR 3201 LP Joe Gibbs 1977 1977
Africa Stand Alone Culture Africa Stand Alone ADI 735 LP April 1978 1978
Baldhead Bridge Culture Baldhead Bridge LP Joe Gibbs 1978
Culture In Dub Culture Culture In Dub SKY LP 16 LP Sky Note 1978 1978
Harder Than The Rest Culture Harder Than The Rest CDFL 3 CD Virgin 1978
Cumbolo Culture Cumbolo FL 1040 LP Virgin 1979 1979
International Herb Culture International Herb CDFL 17 CD Virgin 1979
Trod On Culture Trod On HBCD 0137 CD Heartbeat 197X 1993
More Culture Culture More Culture JGML 6038 LP Joe Gibbs 1981
Lion Rock Culture Featuring Joseph Hill Lion Rock LP Sonic Sounds 1982 1982
Roots & Culture Culture & Don Carlos Roots & Culture VPRL 1014 LP Jah Guidance 1982 1982
Culture In Culture Culture Culture In Culture GGP 0034 LP LP Music Track 1986 1986

Credits & Appearances (9)

Musicians
Backing Vocals 1
Lion Rock
Culture Featuring Joseph Hill
Sonic Sounds • 1982
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Lion Rock Culture Featuring Joseph Hill Lion Rock LP Sonic Sounds 1982 1982
Vocals 8
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Two Sevens Clash Culture Two Sevens Clash DSR 3201 LP Joe Gibbs 1977 1977
Message From The King Prince Far I Message From The King CGLP 1003 LP Carib Gems 1977 1977
Africa Stand Alone Culture Africa Stand Alone ADI 735 LP April 1978 1978
Harder Than The Rest Culture Harder Than The Rest FL 1016 LP Virgin 1978 1978
Vital Selection Culture Vital Selection VX 1001 LP Virgin 1978-79 1981
Trod On Culture Trod On HBCD 0137 CD Heartbeat 197X 1993
Culture In Culture Culture Culture In Culture GGP 0034 LP LP Music Track 1986 1986
Three The Hard Way The Wailing Souls & The Meditations & Culture Three The Hard Way LP Sonic Sounds 198X

Also Appears On (42)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Full Up Various Artists Full Up HB 14 LP Heartbeat 1987
Full Up Various Artists Full Up CDHB 302 CD Heartbeat 2006
Soul Defenders At Studio One The Soul Defenders Soul Defenders At Studio One CDHB 66 CD Heartbeat 1991
The Best Of Studio One Collection Various Artists The Best Of Studio One Collection CDHB 326 CD Heartbeat 2006
Tougher Than Tough Various Artists Tougher Than Tough IBXCD 1 CD Island 1958-93 1993
Trojan Legends Box Set Various Artists Trojan Legends Box Set TJETD 271 CD Trojan 196X-9X 2005
United Dreadlocks Vol 1&2 Various Artists United Dreadlocks Vol 1&2 DBCDD 105 CD Doctor Bird 1976-77 2022
Spotlight On Reggae Vol 3 Various Artists Spotlight On Reggae Vol 3 LP Rocky One 1977 1977
Front Line II Various Artists Front Line II FLB 3001 LP Virgin 1978 1978
One Black People Various Artists One Black People AP 4919 LP April 1978 1978
Front Line III Various Artists Front Line III FLB 3002 LP Virgin 1979 1979
Irie Reggae Hits Various Artists Irie Reggae Hits JGML 063 LP Joe Gibbs 1979 1979
12'' Reggae Discomix Showcase Vol. 2 Joe Gibbs 12'' Reggae Discomix Showcase Vol. 2 VPCD 4160 CD 17 North Parade 197X 2009
A History Of Jamaican Vocal Harmony Various Artists A History Of Jamaican Vocal Harmony MRMCD 11 CD Munich 197X 1996
Best Of Vintage Various Artists Best Of Vintage CD Joe Gibbs 197X
By The Rivers Of Babylon Various Artists By The Rivers Of Babylon SH 45031 CD Shanachie 197X 1997
History Of Dub Various Artists History Of Dub MRMCD 10 CD Munich 197X 1995
Joe Gibbs Productions Various Artists Joe Gibbs Productions SJRCD 076 CD Soul Jazz 197X 2003
Laser Reggae Hits Various Artists Laser Reggae Hits LP Blue Moon 197X 1982
Ranking Miss P Presents Sweet Harmony Various Artists Ranking Miss P Presents Sweet Harmony TJDDD 101 CD Trojan 197X 2003
Spotlight On Reggae Vol 1 Various Artists Spotlight On Reggae Vol 1 CD Rocky One 197X
Spotlight On Reggae Vol 2 Various Artists Spotlight On Reggae Vol 2 CD Rocky One 197X
Spotlight On Reggae Vol 5 Various Artists Spotlight On Reggae Vol 5 CD Rocky Gibbs 197X
Spotlight On Reggae Vol 7 Various Artists Spotlight On Reggae Vol 7 CD Rocky One 197X
Step Forward Youth Various Artists Step Forward Youth VPGS 7059 CD Greensleeves 197X 2018
The Front Line Box Set Various Artists The Front Line Box Set 8106782 CD Virgin 197X 2004
The Mighty Two Joe Gibbs & Errol Thompson & Various Artists The Mighty Two CDHB 73 CD Heartbeat 197X 1992
The Reggae Train Various Artists The Reggae Train CDHB 174 CD Heartbeat 197X 1996
This Is Crucial Reggae Dub Various Artists This Is Crucial Reggae Dub RAS 80464 CD RAS 197X 2004
Old To The New Steelie And Clevie Various Artists Old To The New Steelie And Clevie VPCD 4139 CD 17 North Parade 197X-200X 2008
39 Shades Of Reggae Various Artists 39 Shades Of Reggae RIPEXD 193 CD Ripe 197X-8X 1994
Mastercuts Reggae Various Artists Mastercuts Reggae MCUTCD 01 CD Mastercuts 197X-8X 2005
Scorchers From The Mighty Two Various Artists Scorchers From The Mighty Two VPCD 4130 CD VP 197X-8X 2008
Simply Reggae Various Artists Simply Reggae SIMPLYCD 012 CD Union Square Music 197X-8X 2005
Strictly For Rockers Various Artists Strictly For Rockers IRG 16 LP Island 197X-8X 1985
Clarks In Jamaica Various Artists Clarks In Jamaica VPGS 7034 CD Greensleeves 197X-9X 2015
The Kings Of Reggae Various Artists The Kings Of Reggae RR 066-067 LP BBE 197X-9X 2007
Calling Rastafari Various Artists Calling Rastafari NH 304 LP Nighthawk 1982 1982
Revenge Of The General Various Artists Revenge Of The General none LP King Culture 1986 1986
The RAS Portrait Series Various Artists The RAS Portrait Series CD RAS 198X
Trojan Ras Reggae Box Set Various Artists Trojan Ras Reggae Box Set TJETD 152 CD Trojan 198X-9X 2004
Out Of Many Various Artists Out Of Many VPCD 1962 CD VP 19XX 2012
20 albums
9 credits
12 labels
1977 - 1993