Music Specialists – Dynamic Pressure from the Steady Records 45

Here we are at Friday already. I was feeling some Reggae vibes as I went through my records this week, and I decided to put this piece of organ filled Reggae hotness on the turntable. I knew it would be a challenge to get much info about it, but I felt it sat in the pile labeled “For Review” for far, far too long. Before I do, I would like to add COOP and Aaron Soma to the list of Guest Selectors in the FMF Guest DJ Series. I am really excited about this series, and like I said yesterday, as the list keeps growing, I will keep you posted on who’s on board. For now, let’s check out “Dynamic Pressure” by the Music Specialists on the Steady Records label out of Kingston, Jamaica.

This is a record that has been in my queue for quite sometime, and honestly, I have not found too much about. It’s been one of several I have dug up on the Steady Records label, which has New York City address. This record itself was recorded at one of the first record studios to start recording reggae singles in the early 1960’s, Federal Record Manufacturing Co. Ltd., on Marcus Garvey Drive, in Kingston, Jamaica. While the writers of the song really turned up no dice, the producers were a bit easier to track down. I say a bit, which means really only a bit. Jamaica is notorious for releasing hundreds upon hundreds of records a week, and there really is no “Who’s Who” of thousands upon thousands of studio cats. If I could only be so lucky. Ken Lazarus got his start as the lead singer for Byron Lee’s Dragonaires. He became a household name in the Carribean, and was known for his many popular covers. Then again, what Reggae musician do you know that didn’t have a grip full of commercial covers (most better than the original) in their repoirtoire of songs? Lazarus did have that, and eventually would change up his style later on his career, focusing on a more Rootsy approach to his music. He would arrange and produce, as he did on this record, for artists such as Ernest Ranglin, again on the Steady Records label. He’s been associated with The Blues Busters and Derrick Harriot among others. As far as Richard Khouri goes, allegedly his involvement as a producer at Federal, was his relation to Ken Khouri, the owner of the famous recording studio. He’d produce for Steady and also Trojan, and has been featured as a producer on many of the reissue Reggae comps floating around, most notably the Trojan stuff

So who were the Music Specialists? I do not know. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say a group of studio musicians who decided to cut a disc or two on their off time. Whoever they were, they knew what was up. This piece of funky reggae can give Funky Nassau or Funky Kingston a run for their money. It may not have been the most popular of records (that I know of), but it’s a side like this that puts a smile to my face, reminding me of blazing hot Summer days on the beach, and a group of cats making music in Jamaica just to make it. I can see it now in the studio: smoking ganja, getting in the groove, and proving that they were really music specialists. Have a great weekend and Keep Diggin’!