Roots Archives Forum

I just read a article with a HOrace Swaby interview and he said"glen adams used name first he recorded aquarius one for herman chin loy under the name augustus pablo"

pretty interesting,he says everyone thinks its him on that recording but its actually glen adams.

Yeah, I also read somewhere that the name Augustus Pablo was used by several artists before it stuck with Horace Swaby. But I can't say for sure whether Glen Adams was one of those earlier Pablos.

Chin-Loy did produce and release instrumental tracks done by Adams under the name Augustus Pablo 1-2 years before Swaby's debut.

Not sure though if Glen Adams can be credited with playing Aquarius One.
I know that Swaby himself 'CAN' be credited with Aquarius 2 a.k.a. Babylon.

Also...a lot of Chin-Loy's releases (1971)
credited to Augustus Pablo
feature older session keyboardists Winston Wright or Lloyd Charmers.

From the book "Solid Foundation pages 176/177";

"Around 1969, Herman......set up the Aquarius record shop and label in Half Way Tree......using both to put forward material crediting the imaginary Augustus Pablo.

Herman laughs....."By that time I had produced "Shang I", "African Zulu" and "Black Coffee" by Augustus Pablo. Those songs were actually done by Lloyd Chalmers at Dynamic Sounds, maybe with Val Douglas, Mikey Chung, Wire Lindo and Ranny Bop."

Other material to bear the name Augustus Pablo came about through collaboration with aspiring producer Pete Weston, again with Lloyd Charmers on organ.
"They would bring me their music," says Herman. "That's how I get to meet Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, Clancy Eccles, Lloyd Charmers and Pete Weston.
"Jug Head" was done by Pete Weston - that again was Lloyd Charmers, to set the record straight. Alton Ellis' "Rise Blackman" was done by Pete Weston, but I actually got a cut of the rhythm, a du which I name "62636", the telephone number for my shop. "Invasion"...is my production with Lloyd Charmers.

To confuse matters further, other songs credited to Augustus Pablo came on rhythms built by the core of the Upsetters, with organ futies handled by Glen Adams. Herman explains "Reggae In The Fields" was one of those rhythms, but I put the piano on it with Lloyd Charmers."

Page 178;

"On his final visit to London ......Swaby agreed to be interveiwed....
The man known the world over as Augustus Pablo revealed that it was Glen Adams' departure from Jamaica that transferred the alias permanently.

"Glen Adams did "Aquarius One" for Herman as Augustus Pablo. A lot of people think it's me, but it's not, because Herman is the one that created that name. Anyone could name Augustus Pablo - he just take it out to use gimmicks to rule the people. Glen played that organ on "River Nile" with me too, but he went to America the next day."

And the rest, as they say, is history. Apologies for the paraphrasing - it covers 3 pages in the book.

HI,thanks for the replys funny that last quote
was the one i read but it was plagerized beacuse the german writer took credit for it.,in a newish magazine.

All this time i thought Swaby was the only pablo untill i read that.13 years of reggae eduacation and sometimes i feel like i know nothing,thats how vast it is.

Hi Collu

My pleasure. There's a lot more in the book, but I tried to just put in the bits relevant to your initial post. Fascinating stuff.

"The life so short, the craft so long to learn."!!

Hi, I know this post was very old... but can you please let me know which German writer 'borrowed' the text, and in which magazine this material appeared? Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.