Live Chat: Jamaica's Legendary Reggae Artist & percussionist Carl Malcolm

Malcolm initially learned the keyboard, picking up skills on the instrument at his local Methodist church.In 1965 he joined his first group, The Volcanoes, alongside Al Brown, the pair staying together until 1969. Malcolm then gave up music while he continued his studies, but returned when he joined the group Big Relations, led by Jo Jo Bennett Malcolm recorded briefly as a solo artist, recording "Father Free Us" for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One label, before spending time in the United States. He also began recording again, including the 1973 single "No Jestering", and the follow-up "Miss Wire Waist", which topped the UK reggae chart when it was issued there in 1975. He had his greatest success in September 1975 with "Fattie Bum-Bum". This was picked up for release by independent label UK Records after Dave Cash started to play it on his Capital Radio programme, and it quickly got to number 2 on the station's 'Hitline' listeners' chart. It eventually reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart It remained in the chart for eight weeks. Although this was Malcolm's only mainstream chart success, he had a hit in the reggae charts in 1977 with "Repatriation", recorded with Ranking Trevor.