Dandy Livingstone (born Robert Livingstone Thompson, 14 December 1943 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae musician and producer, best known for his 1972 hit, Suzanne Beware of the Devil, and for his song, Rudy, A Message to You, which was later a hit for The Specials. Suzanne Beware of the Devil, reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. At the age of 15, Livingstone moved to the United Kingdom. Livingstones first record was released without his knowledge - a tenant in the building where he and a friend jammed recorded some of these sessions and released some tracks on the Planetone record label. When London-based Carnival Records were seeking a Jamaican vocal duo, Livingstone filled the requirement by double-tracking his own voice, releasing records in this fashion under the name Sugar & Dandy. One of these singles, What a Life, sold 25,000 copies, providing Livingstone with his first hit. When called on to perform live, Roy Smith was recruited to make up the duo, although he would be replaced by Tito Sugar Simon. In 1967, Livingstone signed with Ska Beat Records, for whom he recorded his debut album 1968s Rocksteady with Dandy. In 1968 Livingstone moved into production, and formed a duo with Audrey Hall (as Dandy & Audrey). His production of other artists included The Marvels debut album, and hit singles by Nicky Thomas (Suzanne Beware of The Devil) and Tony Tribe (Red Red Wine). In the late 1960s, Livingstone worked with the trombonist, Rico Rodriguez, who had featured on Rudy, A Message to You. Rodriguez later played with The Specials, whose 1979 cover version of the song made it famous. Livingstone produced several singles for Rodriguez under the name Rico & the Rudies. Livingstone signed to Trojan Records in 1968, releasing two albums, Follow That Donkey and Dandy Returns. A Trojan subsidiary, Down Town Records, was set up to release Livingstones output, both as a singer and producer, the J-Dan subsidiary serving the same purpose in the early 1970s. In the early 1970s, Livingstone returned to Jamaica, living there until 1973. Livingstone resurfaced in 1973 with the Black Star single on Mooncrest Records, and the album Conscious. On his return to the UK, he recorded a self-titled album at Byron Lees studio. The 2 Tone movement in Britain of the late 1970s brought Livingstone to a new audience. It was announced on Sunday 11 September 2011 that Dandy would be performing for the first time in over 40 years at the 2012 London International Ska Festival on 3–6 May. Though it was announced on stage that he had been present at sound check, he did not perform.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 06:30:41 +0000
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