The Melodians, the Yellow Wall Dub Squad, the Sentiments

[ROOTS REGGAE] For casual reggae fans, the Melodians are known mostly for "Rivers of Babylon," the stirring Rastafarian spiritual that appears on the classic The Harder They Come soundtrack album. For even more casual fans, "Rivers of Babylon" is a song Sublime once covered. But the Melodians' career extends beyond that one, soul-rending tune. Coming together in Kingston circa the early '60s, the honey-voiced trio recorded for Jamaican production bigwigs such as Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid, Byron Lee and Lee "Scratch" Perry, releasing a series of singles across the ensuing two decades as famous on the island and among rocksteady aficionados as its biggest song is internationally. Although the Melodians have broken up, reunited and lost founding member Brent Dowe to a heart attack in 2006, original singers Tony Brevett and Trevor McNaughton continue to carry the torch, celebrating their 50th anniversary with rare stateside appearances, backed by the legit session group the Yellow Wall Dub Squad.