The Mighty Diamonds — I Need A Roof
Introduction:
The Mighty Diamonds — Donald "Tabby" Shaw, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson and Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson — were Jamaica's premier harmony trio: three voices from Trench Town who rose from Kingston's poverty to become reggae ambassadors, performing on every continent, receiving Jamaica's Order of Distinction, and leaving behind one of the most celebrated catalogues in the history of roots reggae music. Formed in 1969 in Trenchtown — inspired by Motown groups including The Temptations, The Stylistics and The Impressions — they recorded prolifically for over fifty years, becoming the longest continuously active group in the history of reggae. Their 1976 debut album Right Time — produced by Joseph Hoo Kim at Channel One with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare on rhythm — was described by Rolling Stone in 1976 as "simply one of the finest reggae LPs ever released" and is listed by PopMatters among the five reggae albums you cannot live without. Their 1982 recording "Pass the Kouchie" — reworked by Musical Youth as "Pass the Dutchie" — became one of the biggest international pop hits of that year. In October 2021 they received Jamaica's Order of Distinction. In March and April 2022, two of the three members passed away within days of each other. Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson, the original lead singer turned primary songwriter, remains.
Trench Town, Channel One & The Diamonds That Were Forever:
Donald Shaw, Fitzroy Simpson and Lloyd Ferguson became friends at school in Kingston in the mid-1960s, originally calling their group The Limelight. The name changed to The Mighty Diamonds after Shaw's mother began referring to them simply as "The Diamonds". They rehearsed for three years before recording their first single — a discipline that shaped the flawless, instinctive harmony for which they became famous. Early recordings for Lee "Scratch" Perry, Stranger Cole and Rupie Edwards gave them studio experience without breakthrough. The transformation came when they signed with Joseph "Hoo Kim" Kim at Channel One in the mid-1970s, working with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare — the rhythm duo whose career Channel One helped launch. Their debut hit singles "Right Time", "Have Mercy", "Africa", "I Need a Roof" and "Natural Natty" became Jamaican anthems, and when Virgin Records arrived in Jamaica in 1976 with a table and $100,000, the Diamonds were among the first artists signed.
Right Time (1976, Virgin) was an international sensation. For the follow-up, Virgin sent them to New Orleans to work with Allen Toussaint — an experiment that produced the poorly received Ice on Fire. Back in Jamaica, they recorded Stand Up to Your Judgment (1978, Channel One) and the dub sets that established dubplates of "Pass the Kouchie" on sound systems in Kingston, New York and London. Their 1979 album Deeper Roots (Virgin Front Line) was their second major international release. Over forty albums followed. They performed at the Hollywood Bowl as guests of Ziggy Marley, appeared in Ted Bafaloukos' 1978 film Rockers, and performed every year at Reggae Sunsplash. Their version of "Frosty the Snowman" became a Christmas classic. The deaths of Tabby Shaw and Bunny Simpson in spring 2022 — within three days of each other — ended fifty-three years of the trio together.
The Mighty Diamonds - The Best Of - Track Listing:
01 I Need A Roof - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
02 Chinchilla Choons Intro ( Mighty Diamonds ).mp3
03 Right Time - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
04 Pass The Kouchie - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
05 Pass The Knowledge - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
06 Have Mercy - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
07 Chinchilla Choons - Skit 2 ( Mighty Diamonds ).mp3
08 Country Living - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
09 Know Your Culture - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
10 Jamaican Woman - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
11 Danger In Your Eyes - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
12 Shame & Pride - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
13 Tonight I'm Going To Take It Easy - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
14 Wise Son - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
15 Chinchilla Choons Skit - ( Warrior king ).mp3
16 Go Seek Your Rights_ No Mans An Island - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
17 Natty Dread Have Him Credential - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
18 Gnashing of Teeth - Mighty Diamonds.mp3
19 Back Weh (You No Mafia) - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
20 Plastic World - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
21 Heavy Load - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
22 Gates Of Zion - The Mighty Diamonds.mp3
23 Chinchilla Choons Intro - (George Nooks).mp3
24 Roof Top Dub - The Mighty Diamonds.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 Albums:
- Right Time (1976, Virgin/Channel One) — Rolling Stone: "one of the finest reggae LPs ever released"
- Stand Up to Your Judgment (1978, Channel One)
- Deeper Roots (1979, Virgin Front Line)
- Changes (1981)
- Struggling (1985)
- The Real Enemy (1987, Greensleeves)
- Paint It Red (1993)
The Mighty Diamonds on Reggae On A Stick: 
The Mighty Diamonds are 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 Jamaica's longest-running harmony trio alongside 99 other legends.
👉 Shop Reggae On A Stick — 100 Reggae Albums On 1 USB