John Peel Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Twinkle Brothers

The Twinkle Brothers are a Jamaican reggae band formed in 1962 by brothers Norman (vocals, drums) and Ralston Grant (vocals, rhythm guitar) from Falmouth, Jamaica.

After winning local talent competitions, they recorded their first single, "Somebody Please Help Me," in 1966 for producer Leslie Kong. This was followed by sessions for other top Jamaican producers such as Duke Reid, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sid Bucknor, Phil Pratt, and Bunny Lee. The band worked in the late 1960s and early 1970s on the island's hotel circuit, playing a mixture of calypso, soul, pop, and soft reggae, and in the early 1970s, they began producing their own recordings. Their debut album, Rasta Pon Top, was released in 1975, featuring strongly Rastafarian oriented songs such as "Give Rasta Praise" and "Beat Them Jah Jah".

Since the early 1990s Twinkle Brothers have been regularly collaborating with the Polish band Trebunie-Tutki in which they fuse reggae and traditional music from the Tatra Mountains.

Currently lead by founding member Norman Grant - as well as legendary bass player Dub Judah, Black Steel & Jerry Lions on guitar, Aron Shamash on the keyboards, Barry Prince on drums, and their engineer Derek "Demondo" Fevrier - the Twinkle Brothers are widely considered to be one of the best live foundation reggae bands in circulation, and they continue to play regularly all over the world to a loyal fanbase.

Links to Peel[]

Peel seemed to have first played the group's material in 1978 when he played tracks from their album, Love. The album was nominated by Peel as one of his 1978 Top Twenty Albums, published in Sounds music paper on 30th December 1978. Further records from the group, including a session recorded for his programme in 1981 were played by Peel. He also played tracks from their collaboration with Polish folk group, Trebunie-Tutki, in 1993.

Sessions[]

THE_TWINKLE_BROTHERS_John_Peel_23rd_September_1981

THE TWINKLE BROTHERS John Peel 23rd September 1981

1. Recorded: 1981-09-23. First Broadcast: 01 October 1981. Repeated: 02 November 1981, 30 December 1981

  • Never Get Burned / Me No You / Rasta Pon Top / I'm Longing For You

Other Shows Played[]

1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1992
1993

External Links[]

Advertisement