Big Youth's "Weeping in the Night" started it. I just had to go and see if his toasting was over Lee Perry's version of the riddim from "Jungle Lion", which is itself based on Al Green's "Love and Happiness". After digging around looking for details online, I couldn't even find what studio it was recorded at or who played on it. I did find out that Big Youth produced it, which tells me Perry wasn't likely involved. It was released in 1973, as was his (Big Youth's) cover of "Love and Happiness", also self-produced. Perry's "Jungle Lion was, I think, also released in 1973, as was Al Green's original version of "Love and Happiness".
Just when you think it can't get more crowded, make room for Leroy Smart's version, which also came out in 1973, and it was produced by Big Youth and released on his label. That's four reggae versions (of one kind or another) released the same year as Al Green's original. I couldn't find any dates other than the year, so I'm not sure of the order. My guess is that Perry's "Jungle Lion" was the earliest of the reggae versions, just because I can't imagine him doing it after Big Youth. And Youth's cover was probably after that, and then either Smart's cover, or Youth's toasting version and then Smart's cover. Or I could have the order all wrong. See, this is where the shit gets crazy, because if you know reggae, there are versions upon versions utilizing the same riddim, and a single riddim was sometimes used over and over for decades. If there were four "Love and Happiness" based records in one year (and there were probably others), how many came after those four? Look into it, would you?
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:Al Green - Love and Happiness mp3 at Keaner (?)
Lee Perry - Jungle Lion mp3 at Stop Smiling
Big Youth - Love and Happiness (streaming) at YouTube
Big Youth - Weeping in the Night (streaming) at YouTube
Leroy Smart - Love and Happiness (streaming) at YouTube
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