The Congos

The Congos are a Jamaican reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio with the addition of Watty Burnett (baritone) (b. early 1950s, Port Antonio, Jamaica), and have been active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They are best known for their Heart of the Congos album, recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry.

History

Myton had previously been a member of the Tartans in the late 1960s (along with Prince Lincoln Thompson, Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and Ras Michael's group, and had recorded with Thompson's Royal Rasses in the mid-1970s. He formed the Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, and they recorded the single "At the Feast" for Lee "Scratch" Perry. During sessions at Perry's Black Ark studio, Perry expanded the duo into a trio by adding baritone singer Watty Burnett to complement Myton's falsetto and Johnson's tenor. According to Lloyd Bradley, Perry treated the three voices as additional instruments within the arrangements and mixes rather than as the music's central element...

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