Enos & The Mighty Diamond(s) – Jericho

22nd November 2021 · 1970s, 1977, Music, Reggae

As winter draws in, what better to chase away that chilly wind than a sunny slice of reggae from Jamaica. 

This one’s a collab between the great vocal group The Mighty Diamonds and the lesser known, but equally talented singer-producer Enos.

He’s nothing to do with Roxy Music’s egghead inventor of ambient electronica – nor with the effervescent powdered “fruit salt” marketed by the 19th century pharmacist (which is still, astonishingly, on sale today).

Enos McLeod might not one of the bigger names in reggae, but he has left his mark on both sides of the console.
In his early days it was he who persuaded a toaster called Michael Williams to change his name from King Cry Cry to the more memorable Prince Far I.

That was when he worked as a trainee engineer at Studio One under Sid Bucknor, where he enjoyed instant success once he graduated.

His first productions – including his own You Can Never Get Away, backed with La Bamba (a duet with Sheila, and not *that* La Bamba) – were eagerly snapped up by the legendary British Blue Cat label

This tune came later, in 1977, and what makes it special is the backing from vocal group The Mighty Diamonds, though it features a fairly functional dub.

McLeod’s many productions also included discs for Gregory Isaacs andKen Boothe, Augustus Pablo and Al Campbell, and Culture. As for his own releases, one of the best was Tel Aviv.

He had a slight career change in the mid-1970s when his boxing skills saw him employed by Joe Gibbs as a bouncer at the latter’s recording studio, but still found time to work on recording sessions with resident engineer Errol Thompson.

He also adopted the name ‘Preacher’ to record several biblical-themed singles with titles like Black Moses, Psalms Of David and Rhythm Bible.