Greyhound
Greyhound evolved from the Rudies subsequently known as Freddie Notes And The Rudies. The band was formed by Danny Smith and Freddie Notes in the second half of the '60s. Working with Dandy Livingstone, then known as Dandy they scored a hit in 1969 with, 'Night Train'. They enjoyed hits in the reggae charts including 'Down On The Farm' and a version of Clarence Carter's, 'Patches'. Their version of the Bobby Bloom hit, 'Montego Bay' was almost a crossover hit. Whilst collectively known as the Rudies they released, Unity and Montego Bay, both of which were titled after their hit singles. In the early '70s Freddie left the band and was replaced by Glenroy Oakley. It was at this time that the transformation took place. Trojan Records had several unsuccessful attempts at recording a live album but the release of, Trojan Reggae Party Volume One resolved this with musical backing provided by Greyhound. The group accompanied a host of top reggae artists at the show as well as performing, 'You Made Me So Very Happy' and 'Move On Up'. By June 1971 the new line-up scored a Top 10 hit with 'Black And White' a song that has since been covered by Gregory Isaacs, the Maytones and King Sounds (who also covered 'Patches'). A tour to promote the album named after their first hit proved to be a success. In January 1972 the group covered Danny Williams' number 1 hit, 'Moon River' and entered the UK Top 20. Their sound had by now been diluted and the addition of strings did nothing to enhance the recordings. The final hit, 'I Am What I Am' a plea for recognition in a white dominated society peaked at number 20 in March of that same year. A combination of the Pioneers and Greyhound, known as the Uniques released a cover version of Paul Simon's, 'Mother And Child Reunion' followed by 'Lonely For Your Love'. The singles were not to reap the rewards they deserved and resulted in confusion with the group which featured Slim Smith, Lloyd Charmers and Jimmy Riley. The release of 'Floating' did not match the success of the earlier recordings in either the reggae or national chart although the later output had more of a reggae feel. Disillusioned with the lack of promotion, a change of labels ensued and despite national airplay the follow up releases, 'Wily', 'Only Love Can Win' and 'Dream Lover' failed to attain chart status. Shortly after the release of Mango Rock the group disbanded and Sonny Binns joined the Cimarons while the others emerged as Dansak who toured the UK in 1974 with Jimmy Cliff and Dave Barker.