Discovering reggae in the early 1970s was like discovering rock and roll all over again. Along with Jimmy Cliff, The Pioneers and Toots And The Maytals, one of the first reggae groups to blow me away were The Heptones. Their soulful harmonies and hooky melodies reminded me of artists I was familiar with like the Temptations, Smokey Robinson And The Miracles and Little Anthony And The Imperials but it was the tight yet supple Afro-Caribbean grooves, slathered with some New Orleans and Memphis funk, that seduced me. The Heptones created music you could languish and relax in, like a hammock constructed of sound. Motown on marijuana.

So it saddens me to report that one of The Heptones founders, Barry Llewellyn, passed away on Nov. 23 in St. Andrew, Jamaica. Cause of death was pneumonia. He was 63.

Leroy Sibbles was the vocalist on most of The Heptones recordings, but it was Llewellyn who sang lead on The Heptones’ biggest hit and one of the most sublime reggae songs ever recorded, “The Book Of Rules.”

I put together this little video in honor of Barry Llewellyn. The idea was to keep it funky and fun while reminding everyone of how deep roots music runs.