The Kingstonians

The origins of the Kingstonians can be traced back to the early sixties when by Cebert Jackie Bernard, his older brother Lloyd aka ‘Footy’, cousin Radcliff Kerr and their friend, Seaford Campbell formed a singing quartet.

Hailing from Montego Bay in the Jamaican parish of St. James, the group’s initial breakthrough came with a winning performance at a Pop & Mento competition, where they appeared as as Jack Lord & The Apostles. The victory led to a session with celebrated Kingston-based Studio One producer, Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd, with two singles for the famed producer seeing issue soon after.

Unfortunately neither disc succeeded in eliciting much interest, but despite this relative failure, Jackie, the group’s lead singer and chief songwriter, remained positive, as he related to Jamaican Gleaner journalist Claude Mills in 1998:

‘Nothing happened and me start to think things through, be me never have no doubts still, something did bound fe just hit’ but still nothing never g’waan ’til 1967.’

It was that year when the group, now a trio, with Campbell having left for the US, returned to the studio, cutting sides for two of Kingston’s leading record producers, Derrick Harriott and Sonia Pottinger. Unfortunately, the group’s offerings for both promptly sank without a trace and soon after the trio found themselves auditioning for the relatively inexperienced Karl ‘J.J.’ Johnson.

Thankfully, Johnson succeeded where others had failed and in the summer of ’67, the newly named Kingstonians enjoyed their first significant Jamaican hit, ‘Winey Winey’. Released on the island on the producer’s eponymously titled J.J. label and on Rio in the UK, the record became one of the biggest rock steady hits of the year, remaining on the island’s JBC chart for nine weeks.

Unfortunately further significant successes with Johnson initially proved elusive and it was not until the development of reggae during the latter months of 1968 that they finally returned to the Jamaican best-sellers listings.

Impressive singles for Coxson Dodd and Blondel Calnek (aka Ken Lack) demonstrated how the new, up-tempo rhythms suited the trio’s raw delivery, but it was the driving J.J. Johnson-produced ‘Mix It Up’ that returned them to the big time. A hit both sides of the Atlantic, the record was promptly picked up for release in the UK but the recently launched Trojan Records, which also included the track on the company’s initial ‘Tighten Up’ LP collection.

Successful though the 7′ was, its popularity was eclipsed by the stunning ‘Sufferer’, recorded for Derrick Harriott as the year drew to its close. The song’s powerful lyric resonated strongly with young, disaffected and downtrodden peoples everywhere, while its catchy hook and irresistible production ensured its popularity on the dancehalls both in Jamaica and the UK, where it was issued on Trojan’s recently created Big Shot imprint.

Subsequently sessions with Harriott produced a series of superior boss reggae sides that firmly established the Kingstonians as one of Jamaica’s hottest acts. Meanwhile, they continued to freelance, cutting further material for Albert George Murphy, Coxson Dodd and Leslie Kong, although it was back with Harriott that they were to enjoy their next big hit.

Released in the spring of 1970, the ebullient ‘Singer Man’ provided the trio with another major success, but his popularity leading to the release of their ‘Sufferer’ album later that year. By this time, they had enjoyed another significant hit with the Rupie Edwards-produced ‘You Can’t Wine’, although their hit making period was sadly coming to an end.

Over the next few years, Jackie, both with and without the Kingstonians, recorded for variety of producers with varying degrees of success. Among those with whom he worked during this time were Coxson Dodd, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and both J.J. and Harry Johnson, while around 1973, he also found time to launch his own Stun King label on which he released a number of well-received self-produced 45s.

But as the 70s drew to a close, Jackie and the group had virtually ceased recording together. In 1978, the Kingstonians formally split up when ‘Footy’ and Kerr finally returned to Montego Bay after becoming frustrated with the music industry and life in Kingston.

Jackie meanwhile remained in the island’s capital and over the next few years or so continued to freelance, occasionally producing records for his Tuff Jack Records label. That he was unsuited to the harsh sound of danceable and by dawn of the digital reggae era in 1985, he had ceased recording altogether, spending most of his time making tams and belts to earn a living.

Finally, in 1998, he decided to step back into the limelight, relating the following in an interview with Jamaican Gleaner journalist, Claude Mills:

‘I feel I can make a comeback because of the fight that I have inside of me. I know that I’ve still got it.’

Sadly, it proved a false dawn for the once celebrated singer-songwriter and a few tears later, it was reported in the same paper that Jackie had returned to the streets of Kingston, seeking help from anyone willing to give it. The piece also stated that tragically his brother had fared no better, describing the former singer as a ‘street person’, who had become unemployable and was spending his days in Mount Salem, St. James. Meanwhile, the third member of the gropup, Lloyd Kerr had been incarcerated in one of the island’s prison.

The years that immediately followed proved no kinder to the three former singing colleagues and on 15^th September 2014, the Kingstonians‘ story finally came to as tragic end when, a week after being admitted to Kingston Public Hospital due to chest pains, Jackie sadly passed away. Having spent the last decade barely surviving, he had caught pneumonia and had been too frail to fight its devastating effects. He was 66. Since his passing, the fate of his brother and Lloyd Kerr has remained unknown.

That all three members of what was once such a dynamic and forceful group fell upon hard times is difficult to understand. In the late 60s and early 70s, the Kingstonians enjoyed some of the biggest hits of the period and were widely regarded as one of Jamaica’s finest and most original vocal trios.

While Jackie has gone, we can at least appreciate the wonderful legacy of music that will forever ensure that he is never forgotten. All three members of the Kingstonians were in the truest sense of the word, suffererers.

Laurence Cane-Honeysett