Biography
A vintage Jamaican rocksteady harmony trio, the Three Tops recorded several key tracks for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label in the mid- to late '60s, including "Do It Right" and "It's Raining." The trio consisted of singers Dion (or Dionne) Cameron, Orville (or possibly Oswald) Robinson, and Joe Riley (some accounts list Jimmy Riley as a member, but it seems most likely that the J. Riley listed on track sheets was actually Joe Riley). The group also did some work for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One. The Three Tops were particularly enamored of American soul, and their vocal approach reflects this, forming a wonderful synthesis of Southern soul and rocksteady rhythms. The British release of the "Do It Right" single was attributed to the Treetops, which was an erroneous hearing of the group's Three Tops name filtered through Jamaican patois. They also released tracks as the Soul Tops. Whether encountered on record as the Three Tops, the Soul Tops, or the Treetops, the group delivered solid Jamaican rocksteady harmonies, and are highly appreciated by fans of the genre.
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