The Itals

One of Jamaica's signature harmony groups, the Itals were chiefly responsible for keeping the sound and spirit of roots reggae alive well into the dancehall era. They didn't get as much attention as other great vocal trios from the roots era (Culture, the Mighty Diamonds, the Wailing Souls, etc.), partly because their '70s releases were confined to 45-rpm singles. When they finally made the leap to LPs in the '80s, they attracted highly positive notices from many reggae aficionados, even despite the fact that roots was rapidly growing passé in Jamaica with the advent of dancehall reggae. After recording steadily during the '80s, they remained a productive touring unit into the '90s, still releasing the occasional album. The Itals' roots dated back to the '60s and the country village of Savanna la Mar, in Jamaica's Westmoreland Parish. Singers and schoolmates Alvin "Keith" Porter and Ronnie Davis formed a group called the Westmorelites during the early '60s, and practiced together through their teens. By 1967, Davis had departed to sing with the Tennors, and Roy Smith joined up with Porter. In early 1967, the Westmorelites recorded a single for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One label called "Miss Hitie Titie." Meanwhile, the Tennors blossomed into one of Jamaica's great forgotten rocksteady groups, scoring numerous hits over 1967-1968, often with Davis singing lead and/or co-writing. Fellow area singer Lloyd Ricketts, who started out in a group called the Terrors, was at various times a member of both the Tennors and the Westmorelites, the latter of which he officially joined in 1969. However, they didn't last for much longer, as Porter took a job with a group called Soul Hermit that played around Jamaica's tourist circuit. Porter, Davis, and Ricketts all made solo...