‘Remembering Alton Ellis and Hortense Ellis’ for Trench Town

The legacies of siblings Hortense Ellis and her older brother Alton, the 'Godfather of Rocksteady', will be celebrated during Reggae Month with a free concert in the community of their birth, Trench Town.

'Remembering Alton Ellis and Hortense Ellis' will unfold at the Vin Lawrence Park on First Street on Saturday, February 18. Owen 'Blakka' Ellis, the nephew of the legends, told THE STAR that the concert has been in the works for a long time and he personally feels a sense of achievement that it will finally happen.

"Ever since Uncle Alton passed, something to honour him has been our plan. All the members of the Ellis family, with support from Trench Town-based community organisations the Becca Foundation, the Optimist Club of Trench Town and Tata for Youths, have come together to make this happen. Troy Ellis is steering it and the Alton Ellis Estate is totally committed to it and have paid for things like rehearsal time and the musicians," said Ellis, who will share emcee duties with Ian 'Ity' Ellis.

He added that the response has been overwhelming, and that several generations of Ellises have been confirmed, among them Christopher, Noel and Troy, all sons of Alton; Mitzie Henry, daughter of Hortense, as well as some of Alton's grandchildren.

"Everybody will be performing songs from either Alton or Hortense's catalogues. Ken Boothe will be singing his favourite Alton song. We have confirmed Pastor Junior Tucker, Dean Fraser, Al Bent, Fred Locks, King Yellowman, Hugh English, Micah Shemaiah, Real Steele, Young Garvey, Michael Knowledge, Ayesha Michelle and the line-up keeps growing every day. A lady from France called to say she wants to come and perform one song," Ellis shared.

They will be accompanied by the Ellis Connection Band, led by Aston and Neville Ellis, both sons of Leslie, the elder sibling of Alton and Hortense.

Reflecting on being a member of an iconic musical family, Ellis said that it "didn't mean much to me until much later".

"He was Uncle Alton who live on Fifth Street and him drive a car. There weren't much cars in Trench Town in those days and he had a yellow Triumph," he recalled.

Alton Ellis was born on September in 1938. One of the premier singers of the rocksteady era, he has left a legacy of classics such as Girl I've Got A Date, I'm Just a Guy and his signature, Get Ready Rockteady. He passed away on October 10, 2008.

Born on April 18, 1941, Hortense recorded with some of Jamaica's top producers such as Ken Lack ( I Shall Sing and Brown Girl in the Ring) and Duke Reid ( Midnight Train and True Love). Coxsone Dodd paired the siblings in duets such as I'm in Love and Easy Squeeze. Hortense died on October 19, 2000.