By Howard Campbell—
Observer senior writer—
Count Shelly—
COUNT Shelly, considered one of the ‘Big Three’ sound system pioneers in the United Kingdom, died in St Andrew on Sunday at age 88.
Trevor Francis, a relative, confirmed his passing. There were no details for the cause of death.
Born Ephraim Barrett, Count Shelly was a champion cyclist before moving to the UK in the early 1960’s. Along with Vincent “Duke Vin” Forbes and Wilbert “Count Suckle” Campbell, he popularized the sound system culture there through what was known in Jamaican circles as blues dances.
His Count Shelly ‘sound’ was resident at the 31 Club in Harlesden (north-west London), which attracted West Indians and white Britons fascinated by ska and rocksteady music.
He was also a popular draw at Four Aces Club in north London as well.
In the early 1970’s, Count Shelly began his career as a producer. He recorded and released songs by Jamaican artistes who settled in the UK including Dennis Alcapone and Errol Dunkley.
Count Shelly was also a UK distributor for music producers like Bunny Lee, Harry Mudie and Ossie Hibbert.
Lee, who knew Count Shelly for 60 years, described his long-time friend as a firebrand.
“Him defy di establishment an’ mek it into a industry fi everybody. Shelly mek a whole heap a producer inna Jamaica known abroad. Di man was brilliant,” he said.
Moving to the United States during the 1980;s, Count Shelly operated Super Power Records, a distribution and retail outlet for Jamaican music in Brooklyn, New York.
He returned to Jamaica permanently in the 1990’s and operated record stores in Kingston.
Ephraim “Count Shelly” Barrett is survived by four children and four grandchildren. Funeral arrangements for will be announced soon.
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