By George Ruddock—
One of the most little-known musical exports from Jamaica, celebrated 50 years this week since landing in England on what was a pioneering tour which introduced a new type of music, setting the stage for Jamaican entertainers to target Britain as their next musical frontier.
The Vagabonds, made up of Jamaican cabaret musicians and singers, left the island in April 1964 aboard the SS Ascania and arrived at Southhampton on May 8.
The Vagabonds brought ska to Britain and soon became a favourite of the growing West Indian community.
Then in 1965, they auditioned at the world famous Marquee Club and ended up being headliners at the nightly shows which had many stars at their gigs, including Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton.
The Vagabonds later recrafted their performances on American soul music and quickly established a fan base likened to a cult following.
They were the first all-black band to tour behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ when in 1965 they were invited to play concerts in Hungary, and also the first band to do an outside broadcast for BBC2.
The band has worked with many established American stars, including Solomon Burke, Patti LaBelle , Ben E King, The Who, and Sonny and Cher.
In 1966, the band released an album, The New Religion, which has now become a collectors’ dream.
Recently, a book written by Paul Anderson, using the title The New Religion, featuring the achievements of the band in the mod era of 1960s London, is now on The Times best sellers’ list.
Today, the band still tours with different personnel and is now known as Jimmy James and The Vagabonds.
