The Tennors

The Tennors is a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal group in the 1960s and '70s. Among the band's hits was "Ride Yu Donkey" in 1968. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the 2005 film Broken Flowers.

History

The Tennors were formed in Kingston, Jamaica in the mid-1960s by Albert George "Clive" Murphy, later known as "Clive Tennors." Murphy initially teamed up with Maurice "Professor" Johnson to create a duo called the Tennor Twins. Their breakthrough came in 1967 when they auditioned their song "Pressure and Slide" for arranger Jackie Mittoo of Studio One while sitting in the back of a taxicab. The song was recorded with Norman Davis joining as a trio, backed by Mittoo. "Pressure and Slide" became one of Jamaica's major hits in 1967, establishing The Tennors as a leading group in the burgeoning rocksteady scene.

Following their initial success, Murphy and Johnson founded their own record label to support their music and a roster of other artists. The tragic death of Johnson in a car accident left Murphy and Davis to carry on as a duo. They penned the song "Ride Yu Donkey," but after multiple rejections from producers, decided to record and release it themselves. The song...

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