KELLY, PAT - BETTER GET READY

Jamaican singer Pat Kelly, born in Kingston in 1944, is relatively unknown in this country, which is completely unjustified. Not only because of his unmistakable, beautiful and Sam Cooke-like falsetto, but also because of his remarkable career, Pat Kelly is one of the idols of the golden era of rocksteady and reggae. Kelly's career began as lead singer in the Techniques, Duke Reid's most successful band, where he replaced Slim Smith in 1967 and formed a highly harmonious team with Winston Riley and Bruce Ruffin. The Techniques' biggest hit was a version of the Curtis Mayfield hit "You_ÇÖll Want Me Back" retitled "You Don_ÇÖt Care" - the track topped the Jamaican charts for six weeks. In 1968, Kelly launched his solo career and began collaborating with legendary producer Bunny "Striker" Lee. The compilation "Better Get Ready" focuses on exactly this time and contains songs like "One In a Million", "One Man Stand", "Man Of My Word" and "I Started a Joke" which are not reggae - Collection may be missing.