World of Jamaican Music

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An illustrated map of the creators of Jamaican music and how they are connected.

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The Meditations

Band. Reggae, dub

Active
1974-present

The Meditations were one of the great roots harmony trios, a group whose three-part vocals and cultural lyrics made them favorites of the sound system fraternity in Jamaica and England, and whose harmonies are heard behind several of Bob Marley's late recordings.

Ansel Cridland (born June 1, 1951, in Clarendon, formerly of the Linkers), Danny Clarke (who had sung with Winston Jarrett's Righteous Flames) and Winston Watson met in 1973 in Majestic Gardens, the Kingston community known as Back To. In 1974 Cridland and Clarke auditioned at Channel One for Joseph "Jojo" Hoo Kim, and Watson joined them. "Woman Is Like a Shadow" was recorded that day, but Hoo Kim was unhappy with it and held it back until 1976, when it sold heavily.

In late 1975 Clarke and Watson auditioned for Dobby Dobson at Federal, who cut "Babylon Trap Them" and "Woman Piabba" and issued them as solo singles even though all three sang on them. "Tricked" followed in 1976, credited to Ansel and the Meditations. Their first two albums, Message from the Meditations (1977) and Wake Up (1978), were produced by Dobson; the third, Guidance (1979), was produced by Cridland himself.

The connection with Lee "Scratch" Perry proved pivotal. In 1977 and 1978 they recorded a series of discomixes and dubs at the Black Ark, among them the Nyabinghi-led "Houses of Parliament," "Life Is Not Easy," "No Peace" and "Much Smarter," all of which drew heavy play from Jah Shaka and Lloyd Coxsone's sounds in England. It was Perry who brought them to Bob Marley. Asked to add backing vocals to "Punky Reggae Party," they so impressed Marley that he sent for them again. The often-told story has Marley putting Danny Clarke in a taxi with instructions not to return until he had found the other two members; the search ended at Idlers Rest, and the trio went on to sing behind "Rastaman Live Up" and "Blackman Redemption."

Their harmonies turned up across the roots era. They backed Gregory Isaacs on "Mr. Cop," Jimmy Cliff on "Bongo Man," and the Congos on Heart of the Congos. They appeared at the One Love Peace Concert on April 22, 1978, the same stage where Marley joined the hands of Michael Manley and Edward Seaga. Singles followed on Bunny Lee's Third World label and, by the early 1980s, on Roy Cousins's Tamoki-Wambesi label with Roots Radics and Scientist backing, including the lovers-rock-inflected "Stranger in Love." Their 1983 album No More Friend, written and sung by Cridland and produced by Linval Thompson with the Roots Radics, adapted their sound to the sparser early dancehall style.

As the decade turned, the members scattered. Cridland remained in Jamaica after a serious leg injury while Clarke and Watson relocated to the United States, where they recorded For the Good of Man (1988) without him. The trio reunited for Return of the Meditations (1993) on Heartbeat, followed by Ghetto Knowledge (1999) on Easy Star, and they continued to tour the United States and Europe.

Winston Watson departed in New York on March 28, 2019, and Danny Clarke on July 27, 2024, after a series of strokes. Cridland has kept the name in use with a later lineup including Laury Webb and Daddy Lion Chandell.

Last updated November 5, 2026

Connections

Notes

  1. The Rough Guide counts them among "the leading 'roots' trios of the 1970s" and notes that they "successfully recorded for Dobby Dobson, Channel One, Tuff Gong, Lee Perry and themselves." Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd ed. (London: Rough Guides, 2004), 9, 205. Howard Campbell, "The Meditations Singer Danny Clarke Has Died," Jamaica Observer, August 8, 2024, https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/08/08/meditations-singer-danny-clarke-died/.
  2. Campbell, "Danny Clarke Has Died." Cridland recalls his earlier recordings with the Linkers from 1968. "Interview: Ansel Cridland of the Meditations," KGNU Community Radio, accessed October 3, 2026, https://kgnu.org/music-posts/interview-ansel-cridland-of-the-meditations/. Wikipedia, citing Colin Larkin, places Clarke in Winston Jarrett's Righteous Flames. "The Meditations," Wikipedia, accessed October 3, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Meditations. The Rough Guide calls Clarke "the trio's founder." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 206.
  3. Cridland: "we went to Channel One, and our first song with The Meditations was 'Woman Is Like a Shadow.'" "Interview: Ansel Cridland." Leroy Sibbles, who ran Sunday auditions at Studio One, told Bradley that the Meditations "came through auditions I held on a Sunday." Lloyd Bradley, This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music (New York: Grove Press, 2001), 221.
  4. Cridland: "that song did not come out until '76. We did that in '74." "Interview: Ansel Cridland." Campbell calls it "a massive hit for them when released two years later by the Channel One label." Campbell, "Danny Clarke Has Died." Wikipedia, citing Makasound sleeve notes, says it sold over 45,000 copies in its first month. "The Meditations," Wikipedia. Bradley and the Rough Guide both single it out among Channel One's records. Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 358. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 229.
  5. "Babylon Trap Them" was issued on Dobson's Wild Flower label in 1975 credited to Danny Clarke. "Danny Clarke / Dobson's Disciples: Babylon Trap Them," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/2476500. The Rough Guide calls "Woman Piabba" a Winston Watson track. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 9. Cridland lists "Babylon Trap," "Woman Piabba" and "Longest Liver" as their recordings for Dobson. "Interview: Ansel Cridland."
  6. Cridland: "I produced that song, 'Trick,' and I put out that song as Ansel and The Meditations." "Interview: Ansel Cridland."
  7. The Rough Guide dates Message from the Meditations to 1977; Discogs dates the first issue, with Dobson credited as producer, to 1976, and Wake Up to 1977. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 206. "The Meditations: Message From The Meditations," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/3997888; "The Meditations: Wake Up," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/master/425753. The Guidance sleeve credits Tad Dawkins and the Meditations as producers. "The Meditations: Guidance," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/1795396.
  8. The Rough Guide singles out "Houses of Parliament" as "outstanding," and Bradley lists the Meditations among those who "made brilliant singles" at the Black Ark. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 179. Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 364. Wikipedia is the source for the sound-system play. "The Meditations," Wikipedia.
  9. "The Meditations," band page, Reggies Chicago, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.reggieslive.com/band/the-meditations/. Cridland says Dobson first took them to Perry. "Interview: Ansel Cridland."
  10. "The Meditations," Reggies Chicago. Cridland: "Send a taxi to come find you," Clarke told him; "we did that night, 'Blackman Redemption' and 'Rasta Man Live Up.'" David Travis Bland, "Ansel Cridland, Leader of the Longstanding Meditations, Discusses the History and Current State of Reggae," Free Times (Post and Courier), February 24, 2017, https://www.postandcourier.com/free-times/music/music_features/ansel-cridland-leader-of-the-longstanding-meditations-discusses-the-history/article_def4def4-d882-550c-8582-f709c4b4fca8.html.
  11. The group's own biography names Cliff's "Bongo Man" and Isaacs's "Mr. Cop." "The Meditations," Reggies Chicago. The Rough Guide lists the Meditations among the harmony singers on Heart of the Congos. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 177.
  12. Cridland recalled the group "opening for Bob Marley and the Wailers at the One Love Peace Concert." Bland, "Ansel Cridland."
  13. "The Meditations," Wikipedia. "Meditations: Stranger In Love," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/master/346536.
  14. The Rough Guide describes the "Ansel Cridland-led Meditations" placing their material "over Roots Radics rhythms" and names "Carpenter Rebuild" as "the massive Linval Thompson-produced hit." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 286-87. Wikipedia says the album was written and sung by Cridland. "The Meditations," Wikipedia.
  15. Wikipedia says Cridland was in Jamaica because of an injury when the other two recorded it. "The Meditations," Wikipedia. Campbell says the trio "moved to the United States in the late 1970s." Campbell, "Danny Clarke Has Died." "The Meditations: For The Good Of Man," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/master/363774.
  16. "The Meditations: Return Of The Meditations," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/7629236; "The Meditations: Ghetto Knowledge," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/1491456.
  17. Campbell, "Danny Clarke Has Died." Wikipedia lists the current members. "The Meditations," Wikipedia.

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