The Viceroys

Wesley Tinglin moved to Kingston when he was 12 years old, quickly soaking up the rich harmonies of vocal groups like the Wailers and the Maytals. He formed the Viceroys with Daniel Bernard and Bunny Gayle and the group earned a recording session in 1967 with producer Clement Dodd. Though “Lose and Gain” and “Fat Fish” didn’t do well, the second session’s “Last Night” and “Ya Ho” did much better. The year 1968 brought the band a deal with Derrick Morgan, who produced several singles during the next three years (“Rebel Nyah,” “Chariot Coming,” and “Lips and Tongue”). During the early ’70s, the Viceroys also recorded singles for Lloyd "Matador" Daley, Lee Perry, Pete Weston, and the Demon label. After Bunny Gayle left the band, Tinglin recruited Neville Ingram as a replacement. The band subsequently recorded as both the Interns and the Viceroys. The trio finally recorded an album in the late ’70s; in 1980, Norris Reid replaced Daniel Bernard. Along with a series of singles, the band recorded three albums in the early ’80s, We Must Unite, Chancery Lane, and Brethren and Sistren. After a lengthy hiatus beginning in the mid-’80s, Tinglin reactivated the group with Ingram and new member Michael Gabbidon after the turn of the millennium. This edition of the Viceroys recorded Inna de Yard (live in Earl "Chinna" Smith’s yard in Saint Andrew Parish), released by the Makasound label in 2006. Why followed on Luckee Rhythms in February of 2018. Stricken with lung cancer, Wesley Tinglin died in September of that year at the age of 75. ~ John Bush