The Techniques
Formed by Winston Riley (b. 1946, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies) in 1962 while still at school, the Techniques' original line-up additionally featured fellow vocalists Slim Smith (b. Keith Smith, c.1948, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, d. 1973), Franklyn White and Frederick Waite. Together they performed at future Jamaican prime minister Edward Seaga's club, Chocomo Lawn, an important showcase for local talent at the time, appearing alongside Byron Lee, Tommy McCook, Alton Ellis, Marcia Griffiths, and the Sensations, who included Riley's brother Buster. The group was spotted by talent scouts from the British-based Columbia Records, upon which its first single, "No One", appeared. This was not released in Jamaica, however, and it was not until 1965 when singer Stranger Cole introduced them to producer Duke Reid that they recorded their earliest Jamaican releases, "Don't Leave Me", "When You Are Wrong", and the popular "Little Did You Know", featuring the peerless falsetto vocals of Slim Smith. With the advent of rocksteady in 1967, vocal harmony groups specializing in Chicago soul-style love songs came into their own, and the Techniques, under Reid's aegis, were perfectly placed to capitalize on the trend. Throughout 1967, the hits poured out of Reid's Treasure Isle studio, situated above his Orange Street liquor store. His classic productions of artists such as Alton Ellis, the Paragons, Phylis Dillon, the Melodians, Dobby Dobson, and many others, all backed by Tommy McCook and the Supersonics, briefly toppled Coxsone Dodd's dominance as Jamaica's leading hit-maker.
Listen to The Techniques
at Finetune.
Top Tracks
- When You Are Wrong
- Queen Majesty (aka Minstrel and Queen)
- You Don't Care (aka You'll Want Me Back)
- A World Without Love
- I Wish It Would Rain
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