Earlier this month I discovered the early reggae singers Paulette Williams and Gee Williams. They have a limited discography, but the songs I could find were excellent. Some of my personal favorites were "How Long Will You Stay" and "My Island." While their style is pretty consistent, their vocals and the simple rocksteady beat make the songs incredibly soothing.
I initially thought the songs were rocksteady because of the slower beat and R&B-style sound with emotional, understated vocal performances. However, most of the songs were produced a few years after the rocksteady craze of 1968 and 1969. Other songs produced by G. G. Ranglin and Pama Records in the early 70s are in a similar intermediate style that blurs the line between rocksteady and reggae. This raises the question of what the distinction between the two really is. The distinction between roots reggae in the late 70s and rocksteady is clear: roots reggae is more heavily produced, the themes center around social topics, and reggae has heavier beats. I believe that the reggae-rocksteady distinction only really emerges after The Harder They Come around 1972, after which reggae songs became increasingly produced and more distinctly reggae. Reggae became increasingly popular globally after 1972, in part because of the film, which led to these changes in musical style. Bob Marley's songs from this era like Guava Jelly and Soul Shakedown Party definitely have more of the components of full-fledged reggae.
Interestingly, many of these hybrid songs from 1969–1972 begin to touch on the topics of later reggae, including rastafarianism and social issues. Max Romeo frequently sings about rastafarianism in his Pama recordings from this era, such as "Every Man Ought to Know." The Maytones, who were also produced by G. G. Ranglin, sing about rastafarianism as well in "Bongo Man Rise" and "All Over the World." These songs highlight the increasing popularity of rastafarianism in the late 60s and early 70s after years of marginalization within Jamaican society. In "All Over the World," the Maytones sing about how "all over the world people are changing… yes they know, that rasta is life." Max Romeo even made songs like "Rasta Bandwagon" criticizing people joining the "Rasta bandwagon." However, during this era both Max Romeo and the Maytones also focused on the same rocksteady themes of romance and R&B, highlighting how transitional this period was.
There's little information available on the Williams sisters. Paulette definitely seems to have been more active than Gee, recording some solo songs like "Every Day It's Just the Same Kind of Thing." Paulette was also part of The Ebony Sisters. My favorite song of theirs is "Each Time." Paulette may also have sung on the ska track "Little Lover" with Delroy Wilson. Paulette remained active later into the 70s and sang several love songs with Derrick Morgan, though I prefer her earlier recordings with Gee. Gee is even more obscure, and hardly any information can be found about her.
Some of my favorite recordings from this period include "Let the Power Fall on I" by Max Romeo, "My Island" by Paulette and Gee Williams, "Mr. Softhand" by The Starlites, "Hold On Tight" by Paulette and Gee Williams, "Minna Hear Me Now" by Winston and Clifton Stewart, "How Long Will You Stay" by Paulette and Gee Williams, "Bring Back Macabee Version" by Max Romeo, "All Over the World" by the Maytones, "Cleanliness" by The Maytones, "Mighty Redeemer" by The Meditations, and "Rivers of Babylon" by The Melodians.