Like so many of the great reggae and soul stars, Alphonso “Al” Campbell started singing in church, initially to raise funds for his preacher father.

In his teens he was in a vocal group called The Thrillers who recorded for Studio One in the late 1960s, going on to sing on two Heptones albums and work with Prince Lincoln Thompson’s group Royal Rasses.

Going solo, in the 1970s, he was a popular roots reggae singer with a big hit called Gee Baby, recording for producers like Phil Pratt, Bunny Lee, and Joe Gibbs, and at Lee Perry’s Black Ark studio.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, he adapted successfully to the early dancehall and lovers rock styles in the late 1970s and 1980s, working with producers such as Linval Thompson, and his recording of Late Night Blues (1980) became a staple of blues parties.

In the late 1990s he joined Cornell Campbell (no relation) and Jimmy Riley in a new version of The Uniques, the group releasing a self-titled album in 1999.