By Roy Black— Alton Ellis Alton Ellis— Alton Ellis’ anti-rude boy campaign has gone down in history as one of the most significant features of early Jamaican music. At a time when Jamaica’s murder rate had climbed to unprecedented levels, Ellis’ stance is particularly relevant. Ellis, who would have turned 77 last Tuesday (September 1) if he were alive, was a firm advocate of peace, and unlike many others, wasn’t interested in making money at the expense of destroying the national fabric. This, he demonstrated in several of his recordings that denounced an upsurge in lawlessness in the early 1960s, but was unceremoniously stopped by the threat of others, who were going in quite the opposite direction – glamorising the rude boys in their recordings. Just when we thought that the attainment of Independence … Read entire article »