In 1966 Clement Dodds, the man behind Studio One Records, worked on what is now widely regarded as a bonified classic by Ken Boothe: The Train Is Coming. Shortly after its release in the sixties it became a hit in Jamaica as well as among Jamaicans in the diaspora, particularly those in England
Years later in the early nineties, Danny Breakenridge, CEO and owner of Upstairs Music, re-recorded The Train Is Coming for an album (Acclaimed) he and Boothe were working on.
Exactly two years later another version of the song was done. The new version, performed by both Ken Boothe and Shaggy, is considered a fusion of Caribbean-pop and dancehall. It was more upbeat and as a result introduced the song to wider, more youthful audience. The Train Is Coming was even featured in the blockbuster hit movie The Money Train, starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.
In 2018 Breakenridge revisited the riddim and begun adding more artists to it. Once he was satisfied with the production he titled the full project The Train Is Coming Riddim. That said, in addition to Ken Boothe, the compilation also has music from Wayne Armond, Screwdriver, Hezron, Kristine Alicia, Dwight Pinkney, AJ Brown, 2 Of A Kind, Glen Washington, Bagga Case, Marcia Ball, Skatta, Kehv, Dheapblu and Yishka.
Musicians that have contributed to the creation of the rhythm are: Paul Gauntlett on keyboard and guitar, Lloyd Parks on bass, Desi Jones on drums and Yishka on saxophone. The Train Is Coming Riddim was released on the 3rd of September, 2021 and can now be streamed and downloaded from all online music stores.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “THE TRAIN IS COMING RIDDIM”
