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A
brief excerpt from the history of Silver
Kamel:
...<snip>... At this time,
Camel teamed up
with another local DJ and opened Camel Cat Records, just around the
corner from the
Walsall Technical College. Here you could buy an egg & bacon
sandwich, cup of tea and
the latest in Jamaican music!
Sources
for reggae music were few and far-between, so it was on a trip to
London that I discovered
Daddy Kool's, hidden in a tiny shop on Hanway Street, off Oxford
Street. Daddy Kool's was
selling a mixture of jazz, soul and reggae. Sometime during 1975-76
Silver Camel and Daddy
Kool's joined forces, changing to a reggae-only outlet to deal with the
increasing demand
from the international market for Jamaican music.
This
partnership worked well for several years, so the business moved to a
larger space on Dean
Street. Silver Camel was a very active sound system, playing venues
like the 100 Club on
Oxford Street (Tuesdays & Thursdays), as well as blues and
sound clashes at other
venues on the weekends. Many reggae and punk dignitaries visited the
shop to drop off
their latest
releases or to pick up some music for themselves.
Around
1977-78 Daddy Kool's decided to enter the production side of business
and released music
from producer Phil Mathias. Those releases included: "So Many Times" by
the
Majestarians, "Earth, Wind and Fire" by Paul Blackman/Augustus Pablo.
Followed
by "Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter III" by the late-great Prince Far I.
After
Jah Thomas' "Dance Hall Stylee" was remixed and edited in London by
Silver Camel
and Jah Thomas, it hit the number one spot on the (then named) Black
Echoes LP charts.
With added confidence, Silver Camel penned the tune "You're the One",
which was
recorded by the group Tropical Breeze.
By
the end of 1979, Daddy Kool's and Silver Camel parted ways.
Silver
Camel Music released many more productions in the early '80's. There
were songs from
reggae legend Alton Ellis "Daydreaming", dub LP's from Ranking Dread
and Al
Campbell and the showcase style series "Roots Reggae Party Vols I
& II".
Many great tunes from Jah Thomas and the Midnight Rock crew included:
Dance Hall Stylee
(re-released on the Silver Camel label), Dancehall Connection and
Ghetto Man Skank. A
variety of discos from Barry Brown "Peace & Love", Little John
"Say
What You're Saying" and Triston Palmer "Run-Around Woman" showed much
promise for the fledgling label. Other fine producers were featured.
In
1983, a decision was made to move Silver Camel to the U.S.A.
Silver
Camel USA was on the scene doing reggae boat trips out of Long Island
Sound. As guest DJ
for the Terrace Club in Stamford, CT, he opened for Ziggy Marley, Toots
& the Maytals
and Michael Rose. Silver Camel also helped organize a Caribbean
festival starring Mickey
Dread, which ran for two consecutive years.
In
2002, pressure from friends brought about the long-awaited release of
Billy Boyo and the
rebirth of Silver Camel as Silver Kamel Audio (SKA).
SKA's
intent is to bring you a selection of music that will affect your life:
whether it makes
you happy and ready to dance, or awakens your inner consciousness and
provokes action.
Play it, feel good… for life is short. Enjoy every moment of
every day and pass on
your good vibes to those around you. Jah Bless.
Silver Kamel
Audio Presents:
Roots
Dancehall Party -
reggae compilation CD
is available now for: $12.98
+ s/h*
 View
Shopping Cart / Checkout
Accepting Credit Cards and PayPal
Roots
Rasta Party - reggae
compilation CD
is available now for: $12.98 + s/h*
View
Shopping Cart / Checkout
Accepting Credit Cards and PayPal
*Shipping
& Handling charges:
USA - $3.00
for the first 2 CDs
ordered,
Add $1.50 per each CD after.
Canada - $5.00 for the
first CD ordered,
Add $2.00 per each CD after.
Everywhere else -$7.00
for the first CD ordered,
Add $3.00 per each CD after.
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