About Blue Riddim Band
The members of Blue Riddim, unlike many upstart reggae musicians, were accomplished players with jazz and R&B histories. Most importantly, they were enthusiastic students of the broad and deep history of reggae. The band members' understanding of the jazz and R&B roots of Jamaican music was a key to their ability to play it. Drawing primary influences from the foundations of Coxson Dodd's Studio One label and Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label, Blue Riddim flourished by playing the same "rock steady" rhythms that became the basis for all subsequent Jamaican music. While other non-Jamaican reggae bands fell into the trap of trying to reproduce the polished, crossover sound of Bob Marley and The Wailers, Blue Riddim diversified itself into an outfit that could play ska, rock steady, and rockers reggae, and then deftly switch to the latest soukous or highlife from Africa, or soca and Zouk from the Caribbean.
Despite having a full album shelved by Island Records in 1979 and stalling in negotiations with CBS/Epic in the early 80s, Blue Riddim persisted, releasing Restless Spirit on Flying Fish Records in 1981. The group also has a full unreleased album from sessions recorded during their visits to Channel One studios in Kingston. The group's other full length album, Alive in Jamaica, documents their triumphant Jamaican debut at Sunsplash in August of 1982. Blue Riddim was the first American reggae band to play at the prestigious annual festival. While the apprehension of performing Jamaican music in front of Jamaicans was present among the group members, none of them anticipated what would transpire. The Sunsplash audience went crazy for Blue Riddim. The band's success was due to the general absence of "oldies" ska and rock steady from Jamaican stage shows and dancehall in the early 80s.
In addition, Blue Riddim's creative and soulful arrangements appealed to the average Jamaican's sensitivity to Black American music of the 1960s. Blue Riddim was unanimously acclaimed as the best performer at Reggae Sunsplash 82, and it seemed like the sky would be the limit for the band. Unfortunately, adversity was just around the corner. Bob Zohn's death in 1982 was a heavy blow to the Blue Riddim Band. In addition to writing much of the group's original material, Zohn had mastered the ska vocal stylings that gave Blue Riddim some of its authenticity. The group pressed on after Zohn's death, seldom pausing from its harsh touring schedule. The band did, however, pick up a strong new member in the personage of harmonica player Jimmy Becker. Becker, from Chicago, was a veteran of the Jamaican session scene in the late 70s, having played on hundreds of Jamaican records. He found a welcome home in Blue Riddim. Regrettably, a farcical managerial arrangement fell apart by the mid-80s and the Blue Riddim Band was forced to quit using its well-established name.
Despite this adversity, the Alive In Jamaica album was nominated for the Grammy in 1986, and the band's hometown audiences remained feverishly loyal. Under the name S.D.I. (Strategic Dance Initiative), the group continued to perform in Kansas City to sold-out rooms for the next ten years (albeit without singer Scotty Korchak and Jimmy Becker). When the group was free to use the name Blue Riddim again without legal repercussions, they did so sparingly.
A successful reunion in 1997 at Epiphany Artists' Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California and subsequent concerts backing Big Youth and Junior Reid in 1998 sparked an unofficial revival of the Blue Riddim Band. In December 1999, the group, including Scotty and Jimmy, performed their old repertoire to packed houses at Kansas City's Grand Emporium and Lawrence's Liberty Hall.
-Excerpted from “Blue Riddim Band Returns to Lincoln” by Carter Van Pelt. Blue Riddim regularly played weekend stands in Lincoln and Omaha from the late-70s to the mid-80s and was one of the most popular regional acts ever to play in Nebraska. Currently the band is hard at work in the studio on their first new record since 1985. Hear tracks from this upcoming release here: www.myspace.com/duckbopblack. Their performance at Knickerbockers 901 “O” Street with Lincoln’s own RC Dub, will begin at 9 p.m. The cover charge is $10.00. This will be an 18 and over show.
Click Here for a great Blue Riddim Band article on Pitch.com |
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