Culture

Formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1976, Culture sits within the great roots reggae tradition, with writing marked by Rastafarian spirituality, social commentary, and sober vocal harmonies. The group originally formed under the name African Disciples around the trio Joseph Hill, Albert Walker and Roy Dayes, before adopting the name Culture and recording for the Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson duo. This first period produced notably Two Sevens Clash in 1977, then Baldhead Bridge in 1978, two albums that became landmarks of the Jamaican reggae scene of the late 1970s, with a sound rooted in deep bass, crisp off-beats and a meditative tension reminiscent of dub. Culture then continued with Harder than the Rest in 1978, Cumbolo in 1979 and International Herb in 1979, while also taking part in the One Love Peace Concert. After a separation of the trio in the early 1980s, Joseph Hill kept Culture active, revived the group on stage and in the studio, and later occasionally reunited with the original lineup. Albums such as Nuff Crisis! (1988), Three Sides to My Story (1991), One Stone (1996), Humble African (2000) or World Peace (2003) extend this trajectory between conscious reggae and dub-influenced accents. Upon Joseph Hill's death in 2006, his son Kenyatta Hill took up the vocals, alongside Albert Walker and Telford Nelson, and has kept Culture's repertoire alive on stage.