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ABOUT THE SONG - Jamaican fruit of african roots
More than a decade ago, while digging in a rural Canadian thrift store Chris Flanagan found a copy of an album called "War Zone" which featured one incredible track by someone called Shella Record.
No more than 500 copies of War Zone were ever pressed on Canadian Reggae label Monica's, making it an extremely rare album only known to the deepest reggae collectors.
During his search to find the mysterious "Shella Record" Flanagan discovered the song was actually “Jamaican Fruit of African Roots” by Jamaican Jazz singer Sheila Rickards produced by the legendary Reggae producer Bunny “Striker” Lee.
The vocal track was never actually released in Jamaica, however the dub version (instrumental ‘remix’) was included on the 1975 Creation of Dub album, mixed by dub-pioneer King Tubby, considered one of the great albums of the genre. The “Jamaican Roots Dub” was the stand out track on the album, leaving Dub fanatics wondering who the original vocalist was for decades.
In 2013, while still searching for Sheila, Chris Flanagan licensed the original track and King Tubby dubs from Bunny Lee. Chris started Shella Records, a record label to re-release the Sheila Rickards song in a limited run. The 500-record run sold out almost immediately and has been played by DJs, radio stations and sound systems around the world. A second run 12" is now available at www.shellarecords.com
Reviews and comments on Jamaican Fruit of African Roots
Reknowned BBC DJ Gilles Peterson played the track on BBC 6 in 2013 - 150,000 people tune in weekly to listen live, and Peterson has more than 3 million followers on Soundcloud.
“Rickards' haunting vocals blend Broadway and jazz influences over a reggae backing track as she sings ..with an infectious spirit of celebration and resistance.” “Jamaican Fruit is a unique musical curiosity rescued from the brink of obscurity and a must for reggae collectors.”
- Vincent Pollard, Exclaim! Magazine, March 25, 2013 http://exclaim.ca/music/article/sheila_rickards-jamaican_fruit_of_african_roots
“…don’t sleep on this one. With celebrity UK broadcaster Gilles Peterson already hyping it like a new Galliano joint on Brownswood, the entire pressing run may sell out before word spreads to dealers that there’s also a documentary film in the works.”
- Tim Perlich, The Perlich Post, April 2 2013 https://theperlichpost.blogspot.com/2013/04/solving-sheila-rickards-mystery.html
Further details about the release, including the original musicians and full liner notes available here:
