{"title":"Shella","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"jamaican-fruit-of-african-roots","title":"Jamaican Fruit Of African Roots","description":"\u003cp\u003eJamaican Fruit of African Roots is the lost vocal cut to one of King Tubby's most dramatic and devastating dubs from the 1970s. It was never released in Jamaica, but housed on an obscure compilation released only in Toronto in tiny quantities during the mid 70s. Heavyweight tune \u0026amp; powerful vocal from the little known Jamaican songstress, Sheila Rickards. Stirring rise up business!! 12\" repress version. ** Now comes with a glorious gold fingered flute dub from modern master, Diggory Kenrik. BIG BIG Record! \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis release is the culmination of a 10 year obsession to try and find out more about the song's enigmatic singer Sheila Rickards. It all started in a musty Canadian thrift store with the discovery of an incredible 10 cent record credited to one \"Shella Record\". The singer's voice was unlike anything I had ever heard in Reggae before and sparked an international quest to find the lost siren. Beginning in Toronto where the record was pressed by local label Monica's in the mid 70s, I quizzed producers, collectors and Reggae artists, all of whom were as mystified as I was. I travelled to Jamaica and tracked down legendary producer Bunny Striker Lee who recorded the song in 1975 with a full line up of Aggrovators, some of the most prolific and talented musicians who ever worked on the island. - Bunny revealed that Shella Record was in fact Sheila Rickards, a Greenwich Farm Jazz singer from the Mento era who began performing as a child with artists like Lennie Hibbert and Carlos Malcolm. He had not seen her since she vanished in 1975 after they worked on this song at Harry Js and later voiced the track at King Tubby's infamous Drumillie Ave studio. - Despite tracking down many of the musicians who played on the song, Jamaican Jazz artists from the era and even Sheila's family, Sheila's whereabouts remained a mystery. Hearing rumours of her relocation to Los Angeles or New York, I travelled the States desperate to find out what happened to this remarkable diva. Every clue led to a red herring which led to a dead end. Now working with a private detective with a sideline in ghost hunting I hope to have more answers soon. The search has been filmed from the outset and will culminate in the documentary film Shella Record, A Reggae Mystery. \"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shella","offers":[{"title":"Black | 12\"","offer_id":50489081725259,"sku":"1169877","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/04a8d6a4-5921-4bce-a3ce-dcae12544468_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727636129"},{"product_id":"dreadlock-lady","title":"Dreadlock Lady","description":"\u003cp\u003eA slice of deep ethereal roots and dub from Summer Records label boss Keith \"Jerry\" Brown circa 1978.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHailing from Trenchtown, Jerry was an original member of the Rocksteady group \"The Jamaicans\" before migrating to Toronto. He set up Summer Records in the basement of his suburban home in Malton near the airport, a subterranean music sanctuary for the likes of Prince Jammy, Jackie Mittoo, Johnny Osbourne and Willi Williams.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDreadlock Lady features Jerry's yearning falsetto over a hazy instrumental courtesy of the Ishan Band and showcasing horns-man Fitty's transcendent flute and Sax solos. The Dub enters even more surreal territory with Jerry at the controls putting the tape machine through its paces, reminiscent of wilder outings at Wackies Studio.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStay tuned for a short documentary on Jerry Brown featuring a wealth of archive and never before seen footage Co-directed by Chris Flanagan and Directed by Graeme Mathieson, produced by The National Film Board of Canada.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shella","offers":[{"title":"Black 12\"","offer_id":50531386949963,"sku":"2208682","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/artworks-yFY18Aop7bZEhcXW-FEv2lA-t500x500_e7d00cb6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728106667"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/shella.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}