(Redirected from Abyssinians)
:''This article is about the Jamaican musical group. For the cat breed, see
Abyssinian (cat). For other uses, see
Abyssinian.''
'The Abyssinians' are a
Jamaican
roots reggae group, famous for their close
harmonies and promotion of the
Rastafari movement in their lyrics.
The vocal trio was originally formed in
1969 by Bernard Collins, Donald Manning and Linford Manning.
Their most famous songs are "
Satta Massagana" and "Y Mas Gan", both of which are delivered partially in the
Ethiopian language of
Amharic. This language is sacred to Rastafarians as they believe the last Emperor of Ethiopia,
Haile Selassie, to be an
avatar of God.
Another crucial track is "Declaration of Rights", whose instrumental version (the "
riddim") has been reprised many times during the years by many other
roots reggae artists.
The Abyssinians should not be confused with the reggae, rocksteady, and ska group
The Ethiopians, though the two bands' names are synonyms when used outside the context of band names.
Discography
★
1976 : ''Satta Massagana'' -
Heartbeat
★
1978 : ''Arise'' -
Tuff Gong
★
1982 : ''
Forward'' -
Alligator
★
1998 : ''Reunion'' - Artists Only
★
1998 : ''Satta Dub'' - Tabou
★
1998 : ''Declaration of Dub'' - Heartbeat
★
2002 : ''Live in San Francisco'' - 2b1 II
★
2003 : Abyssinians & Friends ''Tree of Satta'' -
Blood & Fire
External links
★
Interviews, discography
★
Complete discography