Brimstone

Ladbroke Grove, London-based Michael Campbell and King Sounds formed Grove Music, which was responsible for promoting the careers of Aswad, Sons Of Jah and Brimstone. Brimstone was formed in 1977 by Sam Jones (b. Samson Jones, 1945, Dominican Republic; rhythm guitar) and Gus Phillips (b. 1957, Sierra Leone; vocals). The line-up also included Peter Harris (b. 1955, Jamaica, West Indies; lead guitar), Leo Charles (b. 1959, Dominican Republic; drums), John Thomas (b. 1948, Trinidad, West Indies; percussion), Wayne Griffiths (b. 1951, Trinidad, West Indies; bass) and Vivienne Clark (b. 1958, England; vocals). The line-up expanded to include Tony ‘Gad’ Robinson, who later joined Aswad, Angela Francis and Grace Reid. They toured as part of the ‘Grove package’ alongside King Sounds and Sons Of Jah, and following the success of their debut single, ‘Final Judgement’, in 1978, the band became the headline act. Brimstone had built up a distinctive catalogue, which later grew to include ‘Malcolm X’, ‘Praise Jah’ and ‘Solomon’s Day’. In 1979, they followed their debut hit with ‘Release Me’, which provided the band with a Top 20 hit in the reggae chart. In common with a number of UK-based reggae bands, the group found greater success in Europe, becoming particularly popular in Belgium. In 1982, the band released their long-awaited debut, Jah See And Know, which featured a version of Bob Marley’s ‘Craven Choke Puppy’ alongside seven original tracks. The album was recorded by the revised line-up of founder members Gus Phillips, Leo Charles with Vivienne Clark, alongside Stephen Rene, Tony Clarke, George Joseph and Lynford Odum.