After I first heard Phyllis Dillon and her song Perfedia on a ska comp, kept I listened to it non-stop for weeks.  To me, it was the perfect blend of soul and reggae, with Dillon’s temptatious voice sweetly crooning over a steady Jamaican upbeat.  I was listening for the first time to the Queen of Rocksteady.

Rocksteady was a period of Jamaican music that bridged the gap between ska and reggae.  There was a tremendous soul influence on Jamaican singers and bands that resulted in a unique sound.  It wasn’t quite Jamaica’s own as much as reggae became to be, but combining those two genres turned out to be an amazing recipe.

You can vision 1950s high school sweethearts dancing in the song Rocksteady.  It has that R&B melody, with Dillon’s sweet voice, and is backed of course by a ska band. 

listen to Rocksteady:

The next song, Dillon’s version of Love The One You’re With, shows more of a classic soul influence.

And finally, Perfedia, was first done by Glenn Miller and Dorothy Claire.  This song, with Dillon’s luring voice against the steady repeating horn hook is one of those songs that is so good, you wonder why more people don’t know about it.