The Pioneers enjoyed more consistent chart action in their home country Jamaica than nearly any other act in the 1960s and first half of the 1970s.

The Pioneers are one of the classic male vocal trios whose work spanned the rock steady and reggae periods. For most of their career, they consist of founding member Sidney Crooks with Jackie Robinson and Desmond Dekker's younger half-brother George Dacres a.k.a. Canic Aguard. Like any long-running Jamaican act, the Pioneers worked with most of Jamaica's well-known producers. E.g. they started a productive stint with Joe Gibbs in 1967. This means rock steady which by the Pioneers receives a particularly upbeat interpretation. The group moved to the legendary producer Leslie Kong for their signature tune "Long Shot Kick de Bucket" which was actually a textual reference to an earlier (and less memorable) hit. This track is deservedly a classic with its sexy bass-heavy rhythm--one of rock steady's absolute finest moments and probably among Kong's finest dozen productions. They cut a string of superb singles under the tutelage of Kong, the partnership ending with the producer's untimely death in 1971.

By this time the Pioneers had relocated to the United Kingdom where they tweaked their sound for a more pop reggae orientation and enjoyed big chart successes with singles such as "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah", "Starvation" or "Roll Muddy River". After Kong's death, the Pioneers relied upon their own talents for production and produced a fine string of albums mixing self-penned material with excellent covers (e.g. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", "I Need Your Sweet Inspiration", "Jamaica Jerk Off"). They also cut fine versions of classic British bubblegum soul tunes such as Cooke-Greenaway's "Pony Express" and they always served up a consistent dose of their own reggae.

In recent years, the trio have reformed to perform at various European Reggae and Ska festivals, and now they tour more regularly in Europe. We'll welcome one of the greatest vocal trios in the history of Jamaican music!