TETRACK is one of those groups that you hear about, and after you feel their music, you wish you knew more about. The group started in 1972 with boyhood friends Paul Mangaroo, Dave Harvey and Carlton Hines. They all grew up in the Mountain View / Warika Hill area of east Kingston in Jamaica. The group which took their name from the “baddest†sound system in the area, started recording in 1974. Their first recording “let’s get together†was done for iconic musician/producer Agustus Pablo. This first session happened at the Black Ark studio which was owned by the acclaimed Lee “scratch†Perry who also engineered and mixed the track. “Let’s get together†became an underground hit and was soon followed by other hits such as “isn’t it timeâ€, “only Jah Jah know “ and their major hit, ‘let’s get startedâ€. These works culminated in their classic debut album “LET’S GET STARTED†which was also produced by Agustus Pablo.Tetrack went on to record the popular single “come a we†for Gussie Clarke’s Music Works label as well as the delightful mini album “TROUBLEâ€.
At this point two major developments occurred. Firstly, Paul Mangaroo left the group and was replaced by Dennis Creary. The group did a few recordings for Pablo and then just broke up. Secondly, Carlton, a tremendously talented songwriter who had written almost every song recorded by Tetrack, decided to write for other artistes.Carlton has since written for some of the biggest names in reggae. The list includes artistes such as Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, John Holt, Freddie Mcgreggor, J.C Lodge, Luciano, Diamonds, and the Tamlins. Among his most known works are the monster hit “Rumours†for Gregory Isaacs as well as the classic “ Deceiving Girl†for Dennis Brown, the stridently revolutionary “The Real Enemy†by The Diamonds and “ LET off Sup’m†by Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs.After over twenty years of inactivity the group is back in the studios. Norris Reid, an idren and talented vocalist who is very well regarded as a solo artist, is now a member of Tetrack. He was also an integral part of the group Viceroys. Tetrack is working on a brand new album entitled “UNFINISHED BUSINESS†which should be ready for summer 2008. The producer Jimi Hines is satisfied that the special “Tetrack Sound†that gave the group its unique appeal is definitely intact. He readily admits that this is one of the most exciting projects he has ever undertaken. The talk in the Artistic Recording Studio which will soon be repeated all over is “ TETRACK IN DI TING AGAIN, TETRACK START SING AGAIN…..WATCH ITâ€.
