The Ultimate Guide to Great Reggae - The complete story of Reggae told through its greatest songs, famous and forgotten - Michael Garnice
The Abyssinians
The Ultimate Guide to Great Reggae - The complete story of Reggae told through its greatest songs, famous and forgotten - Michael Garnice
Michael Garnice [+]
Freelance writer
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Description
Calling themselves after an earlier name for Ethiopia, vocal group The Abyssinians consisted of singer Bernard Collins and brothers Donald and Linford Manning. Collins was raised in Saint Catherine Parish and was such a fan of American music, particularly Elvis, that he was called “Presley” by his friends. Not only did his recorded work not sound like his American idols, but he would help launch a new quintessentially Jamaican sound. He moved to Kingston and hooked up with the Mannings in Trench Town, forming The Abyssinians. Along with Burning Spear and Bob Marley & The Wailers, they would give birth to roots reggae. And they did so with their very first record.