biography
back from the moon
First let me introduce my self! My name is Roy Ellis, now known as Mr.Symarip.
Making my first recording way back in1962,been young and ambitious trying to get in the music business...
I met a guy called Sonny Burke he was a singer and saxophone player and producer he was always looking for young talent at that time, so I went to him to introduce my self to him. I remember this time very very clearly. It was in December 1962 just a few days before Christmas.He asked me to sing a song so that he could hear my voice without backing music. In this time Ska music had just reached England.I asked him what should I sing? and he said,any song that you know. I began to trembleThen I asked him just like that without backing? and he said yes, if you want to be a singer you should able to sing without backing music.So been it was geting near to Christmas,I sang the christmas,song Jingle Bells and play a Ska rhythm with my mouth, while I was singing then,He and his friends began to laugh, I got very embarrass not knowing that they meant it well, So I kept on singing and playing the rhythm, and they all started dancing and claping their hands, then when I stoped singing, he looked at me and said, boy yo good no blud clat) I`ve never seen something like this before. then I was very happy. He asked me do you have any songs that you wrote? I said no not yet! He said to me, if you can write or come up with some good idea, I could record you. At this time not knowing that he was a thief.
Well I try to write some songs. I came with three titles that I wrote,
1.( I don`t want you anymore-Ska)
2.(Everyday you got me crying Girl) -Ska
3. (Mr.Wang) Ska instrumental.
He liked all three of them, but he only recorded two. In the studio at that time playing rhythm Guitar on the record, was the master, Ernest Ranglin, on the Organ was Georgie Fame, on the piano was Tony Washington, on Trumpet was Eddy Tantan, who much later beceme one of the member of (Georgie Fame & the Blue Fame Band)
So we recorded the songs Everyday you got me crying as a (A side) and the B side was Mr.Wang.
It came out on a little lable called (Ember) in this time I was the first young black Man in England who had a record that was playing on every Sound System.
In the black clubs, dance halls, and house parties it was not a hit, but meny people knew me all over London. But still I didn`t get one cent from that record, All what I had from that record was a Chinese Dinner. But it didn`t matter to me at that time. I just wanted to sing and to be known. The record was selling only between the black people, the British people didn`t know anything about Ska Music at that time.
Then in 1963 the Ska music really stormed England it kills the Rock`n roll and the Twist, now everyone was now geting into the Ska music. The Skatalites was the king of Ska they were backing almost every singers from Jamaica. In this time Don Drummond and Roland Alphonso was the Masters for me, and because Don Drummond was my idol, I went out and bought me Trombone to learn, and try to play like him. I started to learn my self with music books for the Trombone,but it was very difficult to play, so in the same year Rico Rodriguez had just came to London. We met in the same year and I get to know a little. I asked him if he would give some lesson on the Trombone and he said yes! So the lesson went on for a while, on and off because he was playing alot, and also he didn`t have much patience with me. So I quit and try with my books and do what I can by playing by ear, listen to the style of Don Brummond. Over the years it started to get better.
Then, also in the same year I met Monty Neysmith he came to London to study law, at that time I was a very good friend with his cousin, his name, Barry Biggs he had just left school. So Monty and I also became friends until this day. So as time went by I found out that Monty could play the Piano, and in that time I had a Piano in my apartment and he used to come and play on it then I got to be friends with Owen Gray and he used to come and jam on my piano, We all would sing and have fun,not knowing that my apartment would turned out star like Barry Biggs. Owen Gray was already Known from Jamaica. Anyway:
I strated a band together with Monty and some other guys, but the band didn`t last long. Some months later I found out there was a very young band who was rehearsing in a hall very near to my apartment, they called them self The Bees, at that time they had just finish school they were rehearsing music from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. So one night I went to listen them playing, I took my Trombone along with me and asked them if I could join in with them, they said no, they don`t want no Trombone player, but I didn`t listen to them I just kept on blowing my horn, in this time I was a rude boy, so they were a little afraid of me. But after they saw that I could play al ittle, they told me I could join them.
A few months leter they asked me if I know a Organ player? I said yes I know one! So I introduce Monty to them. I get them to stop playing the pop music and get into Ska. We started to rehearse. Then they found out that I could sing, at the same time they were having some problems with the lead Singer and the Guitar player, so I get them a Guitar player this was Josh Roberts, they dismiss the other Guitar player. So we started rehearsing daily,we were geting better and better every day and as time goes by we started to get gigs in small clubs, weddings, in birthday parties etc.Then we add in a saxophone player, his name was Roy Bug Knight. Then the band realy start cooking.
We played one night in a club in Dallston north London and we met this guy called Charlie, he was the Club owner he felt in love with the band and said he would like to be our manager and we said yes! He said if I`m going to be the manager from the Bees, I would like Roy Ellis to sing, because he`s got a better voice than the other singer. Then he put the other singer out. So now I was the lead singer for the Bees singing and playing Trombone. One year later we were playing in all the top clubs, we also recorded a single that I wrote called Every day you got me crying girl with this manager Charlie, It was also a very good song for the Bees, but also nothing happen with that record. As time goes by nothing was gonig on with this manager so we left.
The same year we found out that a guy called Laurel Aitken was looking for a backing band So we found to him, and we played for him so that he could listen, and the he said, very good I`ll used you guys, in this time we were 6 guys in the band. So we backed Laurel Aitken all over England, the people loved us, every where we played with Laurel it was great, Laurel was singing his program with alot of evergreen in Spanish, and in English and also songs that he wrote. He was also a known promoter in England between the blacks. So when we didn`t back Laurel, he used to booked us in other places alone as the Bees.
One day he said I`m going to introduce you guys to a record company in London west end. They`re called Melodisc and the lable was Blue Beat.
Laurel took us there and he introduce to Siggy Jackson, he was the manager from the Blue Beat lable then shortly after Laurel Aitken wrote and recorded 3 songs for us, titles A side (Jesse James Rides Again) B side ( Because I love you). Later we wrote and recorded another title called (Prisoner From Alcatrez). But still nothing happen with those records, but we stayed on with them for a while.
At that time Prince Buster had just hit the British chart with the rap Ska song (The ten commandments of men). Siggy Jackson and Laurel Aitken got Prince Buster to come over to tour England. He came over with the great Guitar player his name was Lyn Taitt master for Rock Steady and Ska Music and also a Saxophone player his name was Carl Grifith from Trinidad great player.
After the tour the sax player stayed with us, now for a while we were now 7 guys in the Bees. At this time,the Bees were the only band in England who played Ska and Rock Stead, So Laurel got us to Back Prince Buster on his tour. The Bees also had a great success, becaused we got the chance to perform in the white Clubs and to introduce the Ska and the Rock Steady. So now, the Bees was known not only by the black people,but also by the whites, now we were going places.
After the tour was finish the Bees performed all over England, also in places that Prince Buster didn`t go, places like the British Islands. In1966-1967 we had the chance to meet Eddy Grant, at this time the Saxophone player Roy Knight was living in the house from Eddy Grants father, in this time Eddy was the band leader and Guitarist from the mega band the Equals with their mega hit (Baby Come back) Anyway: He got Eddy Grant to meet us,we asked him if he could do some thing for us, and he said I`ll try!
Some weeks later he got us together to do some studio work for him, he liked Rock Steady music and we were the only band in this time who could realy played that music, all the other bands were playing Soul music at that time, even Jimmy Cliff was only singing Soul music at that time, knowing that he was a Ska man from Jamaica. All the other black bands were criticizing the Bees, and saying that we can only play Reggae, Ska,and Rock Steady and calling us king of Ska & Reggae, we didn`t like the idea,so we went and told Eddy Grant that we didn`t want to play this kind of music anymore. I can remember very clearly,He said guys,It`s better to be the king of Ska, Reggae,and Rock Steady,than to be the King of nothing that was his words.
At that time we were wearing a Crown and didn`t know it. Anyway:the Bees did the studio work for Eddy we recorded something like 20 songs that he wrote all Rock Steadys when we were finish recording he said he`s going to write some song for us, but not with the name Bees, he didn`t like the name. We were thinking he was crazy to say that So now, he introduce the Bees to his manager Edward Kassner he was the boss from President Records. He liked the band. And he signed us up, this time we had a real contract, we never had one before, we were very very happy with that thanks to Eddy.
Now things was happening for us. Eddy Grant change the name from Bees, to Pyramids. And still we were still backing others singers, like Millie Small, Owen Gray, Jackie Edwards, Desmond Dekker, The Pioneers, The Ethiopians, Maytals, Earol Dickson.
The first song that Eddy wrote for us, was under the new name Pyramids, the title was called (Train tour to Rainbow City)B side(John Chewey) we recorded the songs in Rock Steady style, then started to record an LP. It was a great experience for us. Then after all that recording, we had the chance to tour Spain and France to pioneer the music Ska and Rock Steady. We were touring all over Spain and France playing in night Clubs, then one day we were rehearsing in this night Club in St.Tropez –France we got a telegram from Eddy Grant saying that we should try to get back to Englang as quick as possible Train Tour To Rainbow City just hit the british chart, so we had to find away to get out of the contract. I realy can`t remember how we get out of thet cantract, I think we started making trouble like, we didn`t want to play anymore, geting drunk etc. and they let out of the contract,a nd we headed back to England.
Now! Pyramids was getting really famous,we started doing realy big concert and paying with all the famus top Rock Bands, like The Who, Pink Floyd, The Nice (later known as Emerson Lake & Palmer), The Byrds, Reggae Band The Upseters, soul singers like Percy Sledge, Ben E. King, Solomond Burke, JJ Jackson, TheShowStopers and Lulu.
In this time the music scene in Great Britain, were in the College and University and in big Dance Halls and Ball Rooms. At this time we had many fans, but most of them were Mods, Skinheads and Hippies. In 1969 just after the first man had landed on the moon, in that same year we met Graham Goodhall he own the lable Doctor Bird and Treasure Isles, he got to do some studio work for Pat Kelly. Then some weeks later he asked us if we write songs of our own? and we said yes we do. He said why don`t you all come and used the Studio and experiment, and we said great we will. At that time we were still under contract with President Records, but we didn`t care, we just wanted to make music.
Then some month later Derrick Moegan put out the song Moon Hop. Now Reggae music was realy booming and Ska and Rock Steady wes dying out slowly. One day in the studio while we were jaming together, Graham Goodhall said! you guys should take the rhythm from Derrick Morgan Moon Hop and sing something about the skinheads. So,we learn the rhythm and I rap some words that come into my head then Skinhead Moonstomp was born. Then after we said lets change our sound to another style. The we played the Ska,Reggae, & Rock Steady rhythm in one style, played it alittle faster so thet the white kids could dance to our music better, and it turned out to be Skinhead Reggae. Ten years later, everyone called our style New Wave Reggae. then much later it`s called 2-Tone.
Now Graham ready to release the record,we said no! We can`t put out this record under the name Pyramids because we`re still under contract with President Records, we couldn`t come up with a name so we spelt the name Pyramids backward without the D and it pronounced Symarip we saw that it fits in well. So Graham said ist great, we`ll used it. So he release the record the next week, and it began to sell thousend weekly. Now! the problem started, we had two hit records under two different names, what are we going to do now! At this time the both records were playing on all the Radio stations,then someone from President Records recognize my voice on the record and told Edward Kassner, he asked us,did you do some recording with Graham Goodhall Philligree Productions? than we answer yes we did! Then he said I heard that the record is in the chart, but you are not alowed to perform with that record, you`re still under cantract with President Records. We said, we knew that! but the record had a different name. Then he said, by law you can`t.perform with that name Pyramids, becouse you are under contract with President Records. Then we get very angry with him. We told him that we want to get out of the contract because he`s not doing enough for the band.Then he said,Ok! Get in the studio and make me two LP with your own compositions and I`ll let you off the contract.So we did.
then I wrote songs like Banana, E.K. Bunch The Boss, Rough Riders, I`m a Man, Free,E.K.Bunch President House and meny more with Monty together,s ongs that`s still on tape. Then he let us go. Now we`re touring under three names Bees / Pyramids /Symarip While touring around England the skinheads was going crazy about us, so in some clubs we had to have bodyguard and that how we met Judge Dread in this time in1969 he was a bouncer,and he was a big fan from Symarip so we played in the Halls and Clubs, he used to take care of us, not knowing that he would be a big Reggae star one day.
So as the years goes by we met another Record lable, this time it was Creole Records / and also an Agency for booking concerts so we were getting a lot of gigs from Creole, So we stay on with them for a while. We did lots of recording for them, you can check out the CD, (THE BEST OF SYMARIP) And as time went by we were still touring all over England, until in 1970 after we did the last concert in Wembley at the Ska & Reggae Festival, 1971.
Creole now send us to Germany to pioneer the Ska & Reggae Music, Well: the Saxophone and trumpet player decided to leave the band they were having some family problem,so they didn`t want to go. So we went as five men get to Munich- Germany we started having problem! The German people didn`t understand the music,So we went to Austria they also didn`t like the music ,then we went to Switzerland, they also didn`t understand the music. Anyway we told the Agency- Lipmanm & Row we didn`t want to go back to England. So they told us if you want to stay in Germany, you must change your music style and play dance music and we said,we`ll try. So we change from Ska & Reggae to Soul and Funk. So now Pyramids were a dance band. We played dance music all over Germany.
In 1972 we change the name again from Pyramids to Zubaba, and went back to England, Now we were playing Afro Rock music in Santana style. We made new fans again. In London, the people went crazy, we mix the Reggae and Ska rhythm with Afro rhythm. We got some concert, but not enough to live on. But we still got the chance to record one LP with this style of music on a new lable called INTUNE but nothing happen with that LP.
So in 1973 we change the name back to Pyramids and this time we went to Switzerland for a while, and then to Austria, as a dance band. In 1978 we headed back to Munich –Germany.T he one night as we were playing in this club in Munich, a guy who knew us from London, he came to us and asked, are you guys the Pyramids / Symarip from England? and we said yes we are! then he said, what are you guys doing here playing this kind of shit music a great band like you all, You should be playing your own music you`re such a famous band in England and we told him, when you have families to feed, you must try to find work anywhere, anyhow you can .He said bull shit ! call me next week, so he gave us his number, then we called him.
In this time he was one of the producer from Ariola Records in Munich, he was in the Reggae branch so he introduce us to his boss, in that time all our records from England was released by Ariola so they already new about us. So in the middle of 1979,we got another chance to do our last recording, one Maxy Single, we recorded (Banana again,and (Give Peace a Chance from the Beatles, also a new Album. The name of the was Album is called (Drunk and disorderly) and still again nothing happen with the Single, or the Album. but we still go on touring around, playing in some Concerts, and in Night Clubs, and in meny Hotels.
Then come the big boom in 1980 we got a call from London, saying that Trojan Records was searching for Symarip, they didn`t know where we were, so they put out a S.O.S on the Radio and TV stations to find us.At that time the Specials had just reach Nr.1 position in the Hit parade with Skinhead Moonstomp and also the orignal Skinhead Moonstomp from Symarip had Hit the chart again in the top 40. So they want us to come home to appear on TV and do some tours, but we couldn`t go we had sign a lot of contract with different Dance Clubs, We were very very sad, a matter of fact, we cried between one another, Well: we still goes on playing in the Clubs and Hotels and sometimes in Halls, Till in 1988 between Finland and Switzerland we decided to call it a day and quit, we think we were too long together. We were getting on top of each other nerves, So that was the end of the Bees,Pyramids & Symarip.
Then everybody went their separate ways. So then,Monty Neysmith went to America, Micheal Thomas stayed on in Finland with is family Frank Pitter went back to England,Josh Robert and my self Roy Ellis came back to Switzerland and got married.and ever since I`ve been here in Switzerland. In the same year I decided to go solo, by singing Gospel songs in the Church with a Band, and Soul, Blues, Ska.and Reggae with half playback. I`m singing live,and the music is on tape. Since 1988 until november 2003, I was now again discovered by a team of guys called them self Rude Attack. They found out that the Boss Skinhead was living in Switzerland since 25 Years and they are also fans of Symarip. They interduce me to a Great Swiss Ska Band called Kalles Kaviar.
Well: Mr.Symarip is back from the Moon. After meeting the guys, I have found out that all these years went by and not knowing that the Band Symarip was a Living Legend, We even found out that all the 2.Tone Bands, and New Wave Bands all over the World still playing our style and sound and also recording over our songs up to this day.
That makes us very very proud, Thank you Guys where ever you may be.
This is the History of Bees/Pyramids/Symarip
Now! Have fun by reading,And I hope to see you all by the next Ska & Reggae Concerts.
My Very Best Regards from singer Roy Ellis now known as Mr Symarip.
Now let Me Introduce The Original (EX Members of Symarip)
Monty Neysmith (Hammond Organ & Keyboard)
Frank Pitter (Drums)
Micheal Thomas (Bass)
Josh Roberts (Guitar)
Roy Bug Knight (Saxophone)
Johney Johnson (Trumpet)
Carl Grifith (Tenner & Alto Sax)