Last updated: 9 hours ago
Though keyboardist Ansel Collins never made a huge name for himself as a solo artist, he played on countless recordings for some of reggae's most well-known artists during the '70s and '80s. Born in Jamaica in 1949, Collins began his musical career in the '60s as a singer but soon switched to first drums and then keyboards quickly after. He first rose to prominence in 1971 with "Double Barrel," a song his brother Dave and he recorded for the Trojan label. The song scaled the British singles chart, and the duo's follow-up, "Monkey Spanner," did nearly as well, entering the Top Ten. Following these hits, Collins wrote the song "Stalag 17" for producer <a href="spotify:artist:0MzVii4VFShJDVer6ULBHM">Winston Riley</a> at the Techniques label. The song became a top seller in Jamaica in 1973 and was later covered extensively by dancehall artists.
Collins spent the rest of the '70s busily working as a studio musician. He worked extensively with <a href="spotify:artist:6jJG408jz8VayohX86nuTt">Sly & Robbie</a> at the Channel One studio and regularly played with <a href="spotify:artist:72kiVqCJIy9eOnmLp8r0h7">the Revolutionaries</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2qX63C7rYqUDrY3CD7sbUm">the Aggrovators</a>, both of them groundbreaking dub bands. He also worked with many of the decade's most legendary producers such as <a href="spotify:artist:1AMMMSq3rJdZtFGnBXEkz7">King Tubby</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1TsG4AumsMt1Tcq2nHpov9">Lee Perry</a>. Some of his late-'70s recordings with <a href="spotify:artist:6jJG408jz8VayohX86nuTt">Sly & Robbie</a> at Channel One were compiled in 2002 on the Jamaican Gold collection. Throughout the '80s and into the '90s, Collins worked with many of reggae's most popular artists: <a href="spotify:artist:5keeQyPKYRxUCKDMECTXG3">Black Uhuru</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3rJ3m1tM6vUgiWLjfV8sRf">Jimmy Cliff</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6QHu71f8LLeT8n0GzfbYFc">Gregory Isaacs</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2Y06xyHPovQ8DWLyVIpSJK">Israel Vibration</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4aCH6cwaYahrWfJWqfEfra">U-Roy</a>, and many more. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
Collins spent the rest of the '70s busily working as a studio musician. He worked extensively with <a href="spotify:artist:6jJG408jz8VayohX86nuTt">Sly & Robbie</a> at the Channel One studio and regularly played with <a href="spotify:artist:72kiVqCJIy9eOnmLp8r0h7">the Revolutionaries</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2qX63C7rYqUDrY3CD7sbUm">the Aggrovators</a>, both of them groundbreaking dub bands. He also worked with many of the decade's most legendary producers such as <a href="spotify:artist:1AMMMSq3rJdZtFGnBXEkz7">King Tubby</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1TsG4AumsMt1Tcq2nHpov9">Lee Perry</a>. Some of his late-'70s recordings with <a href="spotify:artist:6jJG408jz8VayohX86nuTt">Sly & Robbie</a> at Channel One were compiled in 2002 on the Jamaican Gold collection. Throughout the '80s and into the '90s, Collins worked with many of reggae's most popular artists: <a href="spotify:artist:5keeQyPKYRxUCKDMECTXG3">Black Uhuru</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3rJ3m1tM6vUgiWLjfV8sRf">Jimmy Cliff</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6QHu71f8LLeT8n0GzfbYFc">Gregory Isaacs</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2Y06xyHPovQ8DWLyVIpSJK">Israel Vibration</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4aCH6cwaYahrWfJWqfEfra">U-Roy</a>, and many more. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
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