The legendary Jamaican musician Prince Buster is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska music. Prince Buster released many classic ska tracks on Jamaica’s Blue Beat label, and these have inspired ska and reggae artists ever since. Prince Buster was born Cecil Bustamente Campbell on 28 May 1938 in Kingston, Jamaica. He began his singing career in 1956, performing under his own name in nightclubs across Kingston. Eventually, Campbell came into contact with Clement Dodd, who operated one of Kingston's most popular sound systems. Across Jamaica, music promoters drove vans filled with stereo equipment to stage mobile parties. Campbell was hired not as a musician but as security, since he had been an amateur boxer as a teenager. Rivalries between fans meant that parties could become rough, and security was vital. In this line of work, Campbell earned the nickname ‘The Prince’. This was joined with his boyhood moniker ‘Buster’ (derived from his middle name Bustamente) to form ‘Prince Buster’ - the name under which he became famous.
In 1960, Buster produced a record for the Folkes Brothers. It was an instant hit in Jamaica and Buster was soon recording his own compositions, which were crucial in developing the ska sound. Buster's early records were released in Britain by Blue Beat Records, and for this reason ska is often known as ‘Blue Beat’ in the UK.
Buster toured Britain extensively during this period. He appeared on the TV show Ready, Steady, Go! in 1964. While in England, Buster met Muhammad Ali, the World Heavyweight Champion boxer. After this meeting, Buster joined the Nation of Islam. He also name-checked Ali in hissong ‘Earthquake on Orange Street.’ Today, Buster is also known by his Muslim name Muhammed Yusef Ali.
In 1965, Buster released ‘The Ten Commandments (From Man To Woman)’, a track which is a highly-sought-after by collectors of ska and reggae, despite being incredibly misogynistic.
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