The Uniques

Biography

The Uniques were a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal group, formed in 1966 and active with varying line-ups until the late 1970s.

History

The Uniques originally formed as a vocal harmony trio of Roy Shirley, Slim Smith, and Franklyn White, (the latter two from The Techniques) releasing a few singles in 1966 including the R&B influenced "Do Me Good" for Ken Lack's (Keith Calneck) Caltone imprint. The group then disbanded, until late 1967 when Smith formed a new version of the group with Jimmy Riley and Lloyd Charmers. The new line-up debuted with "Watch This Sound", a cover version of Stephen Stills's "For What It's Worth", which was a hit along with a string of subsequent singles, many produced by Bunny Lee, including "My Conversation", which Lee sold to Rupie Edwards, who used the rhythm to create the first one-rhythm album, Yamaha Skank.
Bunny Lee issued the Showcase vol. 1 album in 1978, as the group name was briefly revived by Riley and Cornell Campbell in 1977 for the album Give Thanks (not issued until 1979), and again in 1997 with Al Campbell joining Cornell and Riley on the album The Uniques.

Albums

Absolutely The Uniques (1969) Trojan
Showcase vol. 1 (1978) Third World/Jackpot
Give Thanks (1979) Plant (recorded 1977)
The Best of The Uniques (1994) Trojan
Watch This Sound (1998) Pressure Sounds
The Uniques (1999) Charm