Dominoes

Justin Hinds & the Dominoes were one of the most popular vocal groups during the ska and rocksteady era, but Hinds was a country boy at heart, and with the rise of reggae he returned to his rural home. Thus the group disappeared from view for most of the first half of the '70s, but by 1975, producer L. "Jack Ruby" Lindo coaxed Hinds to Kingston, and the trio back into the studio. The musical scene had shifted dramatically during the interim, with the pusillanimous freneticism of early reggae slowing into the denser and more atmospheric sound of roots. And here, Hinds and company were right at home.

One of the classic groups of the late 1940's/early 1950's, the Dominoes were led by Juillard-trained vocal coach Billy Ward, and are the bridge between the earlier Gospel and Ink Spots type of group and the coming world of Doo-Wop, R&B, and Rock'n'Roll. Their original lead singer Clyde McPhatter was coached by Ward to let his Gospel experience explode in a pop context, producing a fresh and startling sound which not only topped the R&B charts, but made them among the first black groups to gain a substantial following among young white kids, laying the ground for Alan Freed's promotion of black music as Rock'n'Roll Financial disagreements broke up the original group at the beginning of 1953.