Itals lose original member

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Singer Lloyd Ricketts, an original member of roots-reggae group The Itals, has died. Ronnie Davis, leader of the trio, said Ricketts passed away at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland on July 21.

He was 65 years old. No cause of death was given.

"He was a nice brethren. Very easy-going, very spiritual," was how Davis remembered his lifelong friend.

The original Itals line-up, which included Alvin Porter, recently reunited and performed at festivals in Virginia and Chicago last month. It was their first appearance together in the United States for some time, as Ricketts had been denied a US visa after serving a prison sentence.

Following his imprisonment in 1987, Ricketts was replaced by singer David Isaacs, who died in December, 2009. The original Itals last performed in Jamaica in 2009 at Rebel Salute.

Davis said Ricketts experienced a spiritual rebirth in recent years and was a deacon in his church. He is survived by his wife Pearly and several children.

The Itals formed in the early 1970s, but Davis, Porter and Ricketts had been in the music business for a while, performing in rocksteady harmony groups, the Westmorelites and the Tennors.

Typical of roots-reggae acts, their music espoused the tenets of Rastafari and black consciousness. In 1975, the Itals recorded Inna Dis Ya Time, a song written by Porter which remains the trio's signature song.

The group developed a devoted following on the US west coast and in Europe through several well-received albums for the Nighthawk Records label. In addition to Inna Dis Ya Time, the Itals had a strong seller in Give Me Power, which featured Ricketts on lead vocals.