Tenor Saw — Ring the Alarm
Introduction:
Born Clive Bright on 2 December 1966 in Kingston, Jamaica, Tenor Saw was one of the most gifted, haunting and historically significant singers of the early digital dancehall era — a floating, hypnotic singjay voice whose career lasted only four years but whose recordings helped define the entire sonic direction of Jamaican music in the mid-1980s. He grew up in the Payne Land, Maverley and Olympic Gardens areas of West Kingston, sang in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church choir, and was mentored by Sugar Minott on the Youth Promotion sound system — the same system that nurtured Junior Reid, Barrington Levy and Garnett Silk. His 1984 debut single "Roll Call" for George Phang's Powerhouse label was a beginning. His 1985 smash "Ring the Alarm" — voiced over the Stalag riddim for Winston Riley's Techniques label during a four-way sound clash that Youth Promotion was losing — is one of the most celebrated Jamaican recordings of the 1980s. Big Audio Dynamite sampled it. Mark Ronson included it in a documentary series. Apple Music calls him "one of the most important figures in early ragga and dancehall." He died in Houston, Texas in August 1988, aged 21. Sugar Minott called his passing "a great loss to dancehall music."
Church Choir, Sound Clash & The Song That Changed Everything:
Clive Bright was raised in a religious household and honed his voice in church before the Kingston dancehall world heard him. His path to "Ring the Alarm" has become one of reggae music's most retold origin stories. At a four-way sound system clash in Kingston — Black Scorpio, Arrows International, Prince Jammy's and Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion — the other three sounds were drawing big crowd reactions while Youth Promotion's energy was flagging. Tenor Saw, standing backstage, composed his response on the spot. He returned to the microphone and sang "Four big sounds inna one big lawn, Promotion a play, di odda three keep calm — so ring di alarm." Youth Promotion won the clash. The song became a recording for Winston Riley's Techniques label and one of the biggest Jamaican hits of 1985.
He recorded prolifically in the period that followed — "Pumpkin Belly" on King Jammy's new Sleng Teng rhythm (one of the first fully digital Jamaican productions), "Golden Hen", "Lots of Sign", "Fever" and "Run Come Call Me" — before leaving Jamaica for Miami and later New York. His debut album Fever (1986), issued by Sugar Minott on Black Roots Records, is regarded as a minor classic of early dancehall. In August 1988 he was struck by a vehicle in Houston, Texas, and died at hospital two weeks later. His friends Nitty Gritty and King Kong both recorded tributes. Super Cat's "Nuff Man a Dead" mourned him among other fallen stars. His recordings have not aged.
Tenorsaw - The Best Of - Track Listing:
01 Intro -Tenor Saw Interview - 1986.mp3
02 Ring The Alarm - Tenor Saw.mp3
03 Fever - Tenor Saw.mp3
04 Chill Out Chill Out - Tenor Saw And General Dougie.mp3
05 To Love Somebody - Tenor Saw.mp3
06 Joe Lickshot (Chinchilla Skit).mp3
07 Lots Of Signs - Tenersaw.mp3
08 Shirley Jones - Tenersaw.mp3
09 Just Love My Woman - Tenor Saw.mp3
10 Rub-a-Dub Market - Rub a Market.mp3
11 Jah Guide & Protect Me - Tenorsaw.mp3
12 Who's Gonna Help Me Praise - Tenor Saw.mp3
13 Pumpkin Belly - Tenorsaw.mp3
14 African Children - Tenor Saw.mp3
15 Joe Lickshot (Chinchilla Skit).mp3
16 Got To Obey - Tenor Saw.mp3
17 Roll Call - Tenorsaw.mp3
18 Golden Hen - Tenor Saw.mp3
19 Victory Train - Tenorsaw.mp3
20 High Power Sound - Tenor Saw.mp3
21 Hard Road - Tenor Saw.mp3
22 Corporal Brown - Tenor Saw.mp3
23 Kiss An Angel Good Morning - TenorSaw (1987).mp3
24 Joe Lickshot (Chinchilla Skit).mp3
25 Bad Bwoy - Tenor Saw.mp3
* The Best Of
* Play Tracks Directly On Your Mobile Phone.
* All Tracks Are Individual.
* Full Tracks. *
* All Tracks Are Mp3 (320kbps) Quality.
* No Jingles Over The Tracks*
Key Releases:
- "Roll Call" (1984, Powerhouse) — debut single
- "Ring the Alarm" (1985, Techniques/Winston Riley) — one of the defining records of digital dancehall
- "Pumpkin Belly" (King Jammy's/Sleng Teng riddim)
- Fever (1986, Black Roots/Sugar Minott) — debut album
Tenor Saw on Reggae On A Stick: 
Tenor Saw is one of the featured artists on our Reggae On A Stick USB — 100 of the greatest reggae albums compiled onto a single plug-and-play USB drive. Experience the voice that rang the alarm alongside 99 other legends of Jamaican music.
👉 Shop Reggae On A Stick — 100 Reggae Albums On 1 USB