The Heptones

• Genre: Rock Steady
• Hometown: Kingston

About

Making that crucial transition from Ska to Rock Steady, the Heptones have a signature sound that's been often imitated but, as they say, never duplicated. The bright, emotive vocals of Leroy Sibbles and his two band mates made legendary harmonies in the '60s and '70s, rocking to up-tempo beats and bass as thick as bread pudding. The Heptones were also known to cover American artists like Curtis Mayfield, bringing their distinctive island sound and heart-wrenching vibrato to the work of their North American soul brothers.

- Sarah Bardeen