The Soul Syndicate

Yet another of the top session teams that determined the sound and feel of reggae music at any given time in its evolution, the Soul Syndicate were hugely influential in the early to mid-70s. Their work with Winston ‘Niney’ Holness, Duke Reid, Keith Hudson and many others was brash and exciting and added a different dimension to the roots sound of the period. The core members were Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith (b. 6 August 1955, Greenwich Farm, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies; guitar), Carlton ‘Santa’ Davis (drums), George ‘Fully’ Fullwood (b. 30 October 1950, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies; bass), Tony Chin (b. Albert Valentine Chin, 28 September 1948, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies; rhythm guitar), and Bernard ‘Touter’ Harvey (keyboards) who later joined the Wailers. At one stage their featured vocalist was Freddie McGregor. This basic nucleus also recorded for Bunny Lee as the Aggrovators as the decade progressed. Like so many of the musicians that have made reggae music over the years, their names and work remain relatively unknown outside of the genre’s cognoscenti.