Delroy Melody

For many Jamaican music fans, the name Delroy Melody is unknown, however for connoisseurs and lovers of roots reggae from the 1970s and 1980’s his music includes gems like his album “Dread Must Be Fed” and rare singles like “Ease Up The Pressure”.

Delroy Melody (born Lassive Jones) began playing in his first band while still in high school with fellow classmate Jacob Miller. In 1968, after hearing them perform in Greenwich Farm, Bunny Lee suggests the boys call their band “The School Boys”. The band then moved to the formidable Duke Reid and his Treasure Isle Studio where they released Guilty of Love and Tell Me Oh. The band also recorded for Coxsone and played with the likes of Tommy McCook and & The Supersonics and Sonny Brashaw before they split.

Melody went on to release his first solo album in 1978 and then “Dread Must Be Fed” shortly thereafter which included Sylvan Morris, Robbie Shakespeare (bass), Style Scott, Sly Dunbar (drums), Bongo Herman (percussion), Willie Lindo (guitar), Bongy Bunny (rhythm guitar) and Winston Wright (organ). This album also included the horn trio of David Madden, Dean Fraser and Nambo Robinson.