Ernest Adheir "Ernie" Ranglin (born 19 June 1932) His family moved to Kingston, where he attended the Providence Primary School, Kingston Senior School and Bodin College. Ranglin's introduction to music was through two uncles who both played guitar. Initially a self-taught guitarist, he received some tutoring on how to sight-read from a violin player named Tommy Tomlins. At the age of 15, Ranglin joined the Val Bennett Orchestra,

Career

During the 1950s, Ranglin played guitar on calypso and mento releases, some of which were recorded for the tourist market. The 1958 albums The Wrigglers Sing Calypso at the Arawak as well as Jamaica Fabulous Island in the Sun - Denzil Laing and the Wigglers Sing Again (Kalypso FR 1002) recorded at Federal Studio are representative of the type of calypso floor show that Jamaican bands performed at hotels (some of the tracks from the original albums are included on the 2010 CD release Jamaica - Mento 1951–1958). He was employed as a guitarist by the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) between the years 1958 and 1965, with public radio broadcasting (radio services had been established earlier with the first broadcast transmitted in November 1939) commencing in 1959 and television broadcasting commencing in 1963. Ranglin also played with Cluett Johnson's studio band Clue J and the Blues Blasters; recording several tracks for Coxsone Dodd at Federal Studios, In 1963, Ranglin played guitar on and arranged "My Boy Lollipop", which was sung by Millie Small, who had recently been signed to Blackwell's Island label. In 1964, a live set was recorded at the club which was released on the Fontana label as The Night Is Scott And You're So Swingable in 1966. Ranglin's tenure at Ronnie Scott's brought him to the attention of UK Jazz audiences with the Melody Maker′s readers duly voting Ranglin into first place in the guitar category of the paper's 1964 Reader's Jazz Poll. Upon his return to Jamaica he found himself once again doing A&R and session work for Federal (musical director from 1965 to 1972) and Coxsone. He was involved in the recording of the Wailers' track "It Hurts to Be Alone" released on the Coxsone label in Jamaica and subsequently released in the UK (1965) by Island records. Ranglin was the lead guitarist on the Lee "Scratch" Perry recording sessions at Black Ark Studios for the Heart of the Congos (1977) album by the Congos.

In 1982, he moved to Florida, where he continued to record as well as taking the opportunity to perform more regularly at jazz festivals. In 1991, Ranglin's nephew Gary Crosby formed the group Jazz Jamaica; Ranglin and Jazz Jamaica performed together at Ronnie Scott's in October 2009 as part of the club's anniversary concert series. In 1998, he signed to Chris Blackwell's newly formed Palm Pictures label and released In Search of the Lost Riddim. That same year he played with Spearhead on "I Got Plenty 'o Nuthin", which was released on the Red Hot Organization compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody. The albums E.B.@Noon and Modern Answers to Old Problems were released in 2000, followed by Gotcha! in 2001. In 2002 Ranglin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of the West Indies for his outstanding contribution to the development of music in Jamaica. In 2006 he was the subject of a documentary Roots Of Reggae: The Ernest Ranglin Story produced and written by Arthur Gorson. In 2008, Ranglin was inducted into the Jamaican Music Hall of Fame by the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA). In November 2015, Ranglin announced that he would be retiring from the music business with a farewell tour in the summer of 2016. The tour featured musicians including Tony Allen, Courtney Pine, Ira Coleman, Cheikh Lô and Alex Wilson.

thumb|Ranglin performing at [[WOMAD in the UK in 2008]]

Ranglin was honoured with the Order of Jamaica in the 2021 National Honours and Awards on Jamaica’s 59th Anniversary of Independence.

In 2021 and 2022, he recorded the album Two Colors with saxophonist/producer Dean Fraser, which was released in May 2022.

Discography

As leader

  • Ernest Ranglin Trio, Guitar in Ernest (Island CB 23, 1961) (totally different from RCA Victor PC-1040; with 7 tracks)
  • Wranglin' (Island ILP 909, 1964)
  • Reflections (Island ILP 915, 1965)
  • Guitar in Ernest (RCA Victor PC-1040, 1965) (totally different from Island CB 23; with 9 tracks)
  • The Exciting Ranglin (RCA Victor LPJ-1002, 1966)
  • Ranglin Presents The Zodiacs (RCA Victor RCA-101, 1966)
  • A Mod a Mod Ranglin (Federal, 1966; Steady, 1970)
  • Boss Reggae (FRM/Federal, 1969; Steady, 1970)
  • Mr. Ernie Ranglin with Soul (Steady, 1969; RCA Victor, 1969)
  • Softly with Ranglin (Twilight, 1969)
  • Ranglin Roots (Aquarius, 1976)
  • Ranglypso (MPS, 1976)
  • Monty Alexander/Ernest Ranglin (MPS, 1981)
  • From Kingston JA to Miami USA (Vista Sounds, 1983)
  • Rum Raisin (RRR Productions, 1985)
  • We Want to Party (Rooney, 1989)
  • True Blue (Rooney, 1989)
  • The Pensive Ranglin (Kinlin, 1993)
  • Play the Time Away (Grove Music, 1995)
  • Below the Bassline (Island, 1996)
  • Memories of Barber Mack (Island, 1997)
  • Tribute to a Legend (Kariang, 1997)
  • Soul D'Ern (Jazz House, 1997)
  • In Search of the Lost Riddim (Palm Pictures, 1998)
  • E.B. @ Noon (Tropic, 1999)
  • Modern Answers to Old Problems (Telarc, 2000)
  • Gotcha! (Telarc, 2001)
  • Alextown (Palm Pictures, 2005)
  • Surfin' (Tropic, 2005)
  • Order of Distinction (Milk River Music, 2009)
  • Avila Featuring Ernest Ranglin (Avila Street, 2012)
  • Bless Up (Avila Street, 2014)
  • Jazz Jamaica (Federal, 2014)
  • Two Colors (Tad's Record, 2022)

As sideman

With Monty Alexander

  • Rass! (MPS, 1974)
  • Love and Sunshine (MPS, 1975)
  • Monty Strikes Again (MPS, 1976)
  • Jamento (Pablo, 1978)
  • Cobilimbo (MPS, 1978)
  • Monty Alexander - Ernest Ranglin (MPS, 1981)
  • Many Rivers to Cross (MELDAC, 1995)
  • Yard Movement (Island, 1996)
  • Rocksteady (Telarc, 2004)

With Floyd Lloyd

  • Tear It Up (Tropic, 1997)
  • Village Soul (Tropic, 1997)
  • Mango Blues (Tropic, 1997)
  • Our World (Tropic, 1999)
  • Believer (Tropic, 2002)
  • Mind Over Matter (Tropic, 2004)

With Bunny Wailer

  • Roots Radics Rockers Reggae (Shanachie, 1983)
  • Crucial! Roots Classics (Shanachie, 1994)
  • Communication (Solomonic, 2000)

With others

  • Gary Barlow, Sing (Decca, 2012)
  • Beenie Man, Art and Life (Virgin, 2000)
  • Ken Boothe, Groove to the Beat (Jamaican Gold, 1999)
  • Lloyd Brevett, The Legendary Skatalites (Jam Sounds, 1976)
  • Cedric Brooks, United Africa (Water Lily, 1978)
  • Dennis Brown, Light My Fire (Heartbeat, 1994)
  • Jimmy Buffett, Take the Weather with You (RCA, 2006)
  • Jimmy Cliff, Give Thankx (Warner Bros., 1978)
  • Jimmy Cliff, I Am the Living (WEA, 1980)
  • The Congos, Heart of the Congos (Black Art, 1977)
  • The Congos, Congo Ashanti (Congo Ashanty, 1979)
  • Alton Ellis, Alton Ellis Sings, the Heptones Harmonise (Jet Star, 1999)
  • Alton Ellis, Soul of a Man (All Tone, 2003)
  • George Faith, To Be a Lover (Black Swan, 1977)
  • Sharon Forrester, Red Rose (Internal Affairs, 1995)
  • Winston Francis, Mr Fix It & California Dreaming (Studio One, 1998)
  • Earl George, Loving Something (Hit, 1978)
  • Gladiators, Dreadlocks the Time Is Now (Front Line, 1990)
  • Gladiators, Sweet So Till (Front Line, 1979)
  • The Heptones, Dub Dictionary (Trench Town, 1999)
  • John Holt, I Can't Get You Off My Mind (Heartbeat, 2006)
  • Keith Hudson, From One Extreme to Another (Joint, 1979)
  • Charlie Hunter, Earth Tones (Green Streets, 2005)
  • Winston Jarrett, Wise Man (Wambesi, 1979)
  • King Tubby, Sound System International Dub LP (Clan Disc, 1976)
  • Bernard Lavilliers, Clair-Obscur (Barclay, 1997)
  • Little Roy, Live On (Tafari, 1991)
  • Freddie McKay, Picture On the Wall (Studio One, 2017)
  • Jackie Mittoo, Showcase (Studio One, 1980)
  • Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Super Ape Strikes Again (Lost Ark Music, 2015)
  • Prince Buster, It's Burke's Law (Blue Beat, 1965)
  • Prince Far I, Megabit 25, 1922 Dub (Tamoki-Wambesi-Dove, 2004)
  • Max Romeo, Reconstruction (Mango, 1977)
  • The Royals, Pick Up the Pieces (Magnum, 1978)
  • The Royals, Moving On (Kingdom, 1981)
  • Ronnie Scott, The Night Is Scott and You're So Swingable (Fontana, 1966)
  • Ronnie Scott, When I Want Your Opinion, I'll Give It to You (Jazz House, 1997)
  • The Skatalites, Herb Dub Collie Dub (Jigsaw, 1976)
  • Millie Small, My Boy Lollipop & Oh, Henry (Island, 1980)
  • Leroy Smart, Let Everyman Survive (Hit, 1980)
  • Ernie Smith, Smith, That Is (London, 1972)
  • St Germain, Tourist (Blue Note, 2000)
  • Sonny Stitt, Sonny's Blues (Jazz House, 1995)
  • Lincoln Thompson, Natural Wild (Vista Sounds, 1983)
  • André Toussaint, André Toussaint (Bahama, 1965)
  • Junior Tucker, It's a Small, Small World (Top Ranking, 1978)
  • Jason Wilson, The Peacemaker's Chauffeur (Wheel, 2008)
  • Roots Architects, From Then 'Til Now (Fruits, 2024)

References

  • Ernest Ranglin website