Earth Disciples were a Jamaican vocal harmony group from the late 1970s led by Devon Beckford, aka ‘Ziggy Soul’.

They got their break thanks to Bob Marley, who spotted the group and recommended them to his manager Tommy Cowan, who put them in the studio for the first time.

The result, released on The Wailers’ own label Tuff Gong Records, was a single called Peace, Love And Harmony, a classic roots reggae number with sweet harmonies, released back in 1979. 

But then they disappeared, leaving behind a slender catalogue of tunes, including Who’s Running, Forward Inna Wah and So Come On – with a great dub by Gussie Clarke.

Ziggy launched a solo career in the late 1980s and in 1994 he joined another group, Knowledge, but a year later he converted from Rastafarianism to Christianity and released a series of gospel-themed singles.

His new religion took him to church where he reconnected with Cowan and together they recorded a pair of albums Genesis (2000) and Born Again (2007).  

In 2013 came another song, Strugglin’, which I’m guessing comes from his earlier Rasta period. It certainly sounds as if it does, though it was not released until 2013, thanks to a French producer with the unlikely name of Max Caviar (real name Sam Bertolotti).

Sadly, Ziggy died in Kingston in 2019 from kidney failure induced by severe diabetes, having previously lost a limb and become blind in one eye.