During their heyday, The Ethiopians were one of Jamaica’s most influential vocal groups. The duo, which featured Leonard Dillon and Stephen Taylor, was at the forefront of the transition from ska to rocksteady. Moreover, Dillon’s compositional style and use of Rastafarian-themed lyrics also paved the way for the socially conscious roots reggae era that was to come.
In 1964 Dillon met Peter Tosh who admired his original material and introduced him to the other members of the Wailers. In turn, the Wailers brought Dillon to Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s Studio One, where he made his first recordings under the name Jack Sparrow.
Since these first recordings, Dillon has gone on to record with the likes of Vincent Chin, Prince Buster, Joe Gibbs, Bob Andy, Rupie Edwards, and Lee “Scratch” Perry.
In 2009, he returned to the studio with the legendary Jamaican vocal team The Silvertones to record his highly anticipated next album after over 10 years.
Happy New Year! We had a quiet year-end online, but busy behind-the-scenes preparing an exciting 2012 for Young Cub. First up will be the official release of Leonard Dillon’s The Ethiopian on beautifully colored clear teal vinyl. The release date has been reset to March 6th to ensure the utmost quality for this historic album – 
