The Congos

  • Jamaica
    hometown
  • Rock
    genre
  • 1970
    started
  • Bio
    full story
  • Share
  • Similar
Close

About The Congos


A duo comprised of Cedric Myton and Roydel "Ashanti" Johnson, the Congos are known primarily known for one record, Heart of the Congos, released in 1977. Reggae historian Steve Barrow, one of the people behind the exquisite reissue of this long-thought-lost record, considers it as good as seminal reggae recordings such as Bob Marley and the Wailers' Natty Dread, Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey, and the Mighty Diamonds' Right Time. This is not an exaggeration. Myton and Johnson, working with Lee Perry at his Black Ark Studios in Kingston created a masterpiece, one of (if not the) finest production job of Perry's long and prolific career.

Cedric Myton grew up in St. Catherine, Jamaica and began his singing career as a member of the Tartans in the late '60s. Singing in a tuneful rocksteady style, the Tartans scored hits with songs like "Dance All Night" and "Far Beyond the Sun," the latter recorded for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label. Roy Johnson, a native of Hanover, Jamaica, grew up singing spirituals at home and cut his teeth as a member of Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus. More importantly, Johnson attended school with Lee Perry, the start of a relationship that would lead to Perry working with him and Myton years later. A chance meeting led to Myton and Johnson working under the name the Congos and hooking up with such major musical talents as Sly Dunbar, Ernest Ranglin, and "Sticky" Thompson. And while the music that backed the Congos was undeniably great, their most distinctive feature was their vocals: Johnson's strong, clear tenor and Myton's breathtaking falsetto, which sounded a bit like that of the great Russell Tompkins of the Stylistics. What Lee Perry brought to this mix was his usual anarchic presence, but also his technique of using primitive (even for its time) four-track recording technology that emphasized a cluttered, dense, but hot live sound. With Perry at the controls, the Congos had a man uniquely qualified to capture the roots vibe they wanted to record, perhaps the only producer in Jamaica capable of doing so.

Great as it was, Heart of the Congos sold only reasonably well in Jamaica, and became a hotly sought-after collectible in America and Britain by a cult of reggae aficionados. The original release dropped out of sight, and crappy reissues were all that was available until very recently. Not long after the record was released, Myton and Johnson went their separate ways but continued to use the name the Congos or Congo as a means of identification. Myton continued to record with other singers as the Congos, and Johnson now identifies himself as Congo Ashanti Roy, working as a solo act and as a member of some of Adrian Sherwood's experimental dub/funk aggregations. As solo artists, they've never again captured the magic of Heart of the Congos, but the fact they were able to do so once is all that really matters. ~ John Dougan, Rovi

Scroll up Scroll down

News

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • The Congos
    New Release: Sun Araw, M. Geddes Gengras, and the Congos: FRKWYS Vol. 9: ICON GIVE THANK
    www.pitchfork.com
    Label: RVNG Tracklist: 01 New Binghi 02 Happy Song 03 Food Clothing and Shelter 04 Sunshine 05 Jungle 06 Invocation 07 Thanks and Praise Notes: The ni...
    Read More

Tour Dates

From position 0, showing 9 items, asking 50
See All
  • May 30 Thursday
    New York, NY, US Le Poisson Rouge
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 22 Saturday
    Théméricourt, France Unknown venue
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 24 Monday
    Edinburgh, UK Studio 24
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 25 Tuesday
    Glasgow, UK SWG3
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 26 Wednesday
    Shepton Mallet, UK Worthy Farm
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 26 Wednesday
    London, UK The Jazz Cafe
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 27 Thursday
    Brighton, UK Concorde 2
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 28 Friday
    Brussels, Belgium Tour&Taxi
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 2 Tuesday
    Puget Sur Argens, France Le Mas Des Escaravatiers
    Buy Ticket

Discography

From position 0, showing 10 items, asking 10
See All
Next Page
  • FRKWYS, Vol. 9: Icon Give Thank/Icon Eye (2012)
    The Congos
    FRKWYS, Vol. 9: Icon Give Thank/Icon Eye (2012)
  • The Swinging Bridge [Nocturne] (2006)
    The Congos
    The Swinging Bridge [Nocturne] (2006)
    Nocturne Records
  • Feast (2006)
    The Congos
    Feast (2006)
    Kingston Sounds
  • Cock Mouth Kill Cock (2006)
    The Congos
    Cock Mouth Kill Cock (2006)
    Explore Records
  • Fisherman Style (2006)
    The Congos
    Fisherman Style (2006)
    Blood And Fire
  • Give Them the Rights (2005)
    The Congos
    Give Them the Rights (2005)
    Young Tree Records
  • Live at Maritime Hall: San Francisco (2000)
    The Congos
    Live at Maritime Hall: San Francisco (2000)
    Artists Only!
  • Revival (1999)
    The Congos
    Revival (1999)
    VP
  • Natty Dread Rise Again [Bonus CD] (1997)
    The Congos
    Natty Dread Rise Again [Bonus CD] (1997)
    RAS Records
  • Congos Ashanti (1994)
    The Congos
    Congos Ashanti (1994)
    VP
Are You The Congos? Claim this page | Learn more about Artists.MTV | FAQ for Artists
The Congos Bio | The Congos Tour Dates | The Congos Discography |
MTV | MTV Jobs | Privacy Policy | User Content Agreement | Copyright | Artist Index | Social Projects Agreements | Ad Choices |
Portions of this page powered by
This site contains content from artists, fans, and writers from around the internet in it's natural form. Such content is not representative of Viacom Media Networks.

©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  • Explore
    • Popular
    • Emerging
    • Genres
      • Rock
      • Hip Hop
      • Indie
      • Electronic/EDM
      • Country
      • Pop
    • Collections
    • Artist To Watch
  • Search
  • Are you an artist?
    • Claim Your Page
    • Learn More
    • FAQ
    • Opportunities