Who played drums on Many Rivers To Cross

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I was just listening to Jimmy Cliff singing this, one of my absolute favourites, and I was noting how great the drumming is. I have no idea who it is, and although I'm at work, I'm pretty sure that I couldn't find this at home either. Anyone know? I'd be interested in the other musicians too, if someone happens to have the original album and there are credits.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 17 March 2005 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Allmusic lists Winston Grennan as the drummer under credits, but considering there are a few artists playing on the track, I'm not sure he played for every song (or specifically, for Many Rivers to Cross). Anyway, Greenan could be the answer. :)

― Jonathan (Jonathan), Thursday, 17 March 2005 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, I did see that, but since that's a comp and MRTC had been on a previous album, I don't know that a drummer listed for the movie soundtrack tells me much. Thank you anyway, of course.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 17 March 2005 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

i always thought this song was kind of undercooked and bland, and got by on its epic gospel associations.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 17 March 2005 21:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Martin - I have tried to find out. I have looked thru all my reggae books and online and am getting nowhere - it's become a bit of an obsession now! I think we need to find out which musicians Leslie Kong used around 69-70 - this *is* a Leslie Kong production, right?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 18 March 2005 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Winston Grennan was used by a Derek Harriott and Sonia Pottinger - could have been also used by Leslie Kong. Also Hux Brown played guitar and drums on lots of Kong productions including Toots and The Maytals best known hits.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 18 March 2005 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm. This seems to imply that Winston G played on "Rivers of Babylon," at least.

Did everybody know he also played on "Mother and Child Reunion"?

― Ken L (Ken L), Friday, 18 March 2005 18:40 (twenty-one years ago)

yup! that's a pure leslie kong sound right there. except for the dopey lead vocal.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 18 March 2005 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Grennen used to live here in Baltimore, and I once did a story on him. He was one of the top on-call drummers in Jamaican music at that time and apparently played on a whole pile of classic sides that basically any reggae fan knows by heart. That said, Jamaican musical history is notoriously sketchy and unreliable in terms of actual documented facts; Grennen, when I met him, didn't help matters much with his ego and bluster, which made everything he said, no matter how factual, sound like a wild claim. Part of the reason I did the story (which is so old that it's not available online) is that he claimed to have invented the reggae beat itself--that is, he created the riddim that fundamentally shifted the music away from rock steady. Totally impossible to verify, not that I didn't try.

Anyway, I don't know if he played on "Many Rivers," but he might well have. He did talk about being involved with the filming of The Harder They Come. For instance, he claimed he was playing drums in the band backing Toots and the Maytals in the scene where they're recording "Sweet and Dandy." Again, it's impossible to confirm that looking at the footage. But Toots did hire Grennen to play drums whenever he toured the States during the time I kept in touch with Grennen, so they obviously had some history.

In any event, he died of cancer about four or five years ago, so I guess we'll never know for sure.

― Floyd the Barber (Floyd), Friday, 18 March 2005 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Whoops, that should be "Grennan." Some reporter me.

― Floyd the Barber (Floyd), Friday, 18 March 2005 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I now have the answer- Bernard "Pretty" Purdie!

― Ken L (Ken L), Friday, 18 March 2005 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

How sure are you on that, Ken? I'm very grateful for the efforts here.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 19 March 2005 11:37 (twenty-one years ago)

No, that was a l gag.

― Ken L (Ken L), Saturday, 19 March 2005 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

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