Let Me Come On Home / Hardships Of Life

If you like your reggae then knowing of the name Hopeton Lewis is a must if you want to understand some of the history behind the genre; he was one of the first Jamaican artists to release a ‘rocksteady’ track. This was a short-lived but immensely important genre that came out of Ska and developed into that Reggae sound many of us know so well. Although there is debate as to who was the real ‘father’ of rocksteady music was, Hopeton Lewis was a very possible contender. In fact, Lewis advertised himself on flyers in the late 1960’s as ‘the creator of the rock steady beat’ which definitely gives some credibility to the idea that he was the genre’s pioneer. The story goes that he wrote the hit track ‘Take It Easy’ and in a 1964 recording session Lynn Taitt who, backed by his band ‘The Jets’, was playing the guitar in the song and suggested that it was slowed down. Whatever divided opinion there is on the matter, there can be no doubt that Lewis he has a very special place indeed in Jamaican music history. 

Released in 1967, ‘Let Me Come On Home’ is by far my favourite Rocksteady track by Lewis. It has some killer Jazz piano and vocals in it which, combined with that classic raw Jamaican recording sound that is reminiscent of 1960’s, makes this track an essential masterpiece for anyone’s music collection.