Earth, Roots and Water
{{Short description|Canadian reggae band}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Earth, Roots and Water
| image =
| caption =
| alias =
| origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| genre = {{hlist|Reggae|dub}}
| occupation =
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| years_active = 1970s
| label = Summer Records
| associated_acts =
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| current_members =
| past_members = Adrian "Homer" Miller
Anthony "Base" Hibbert
Colin "Zuba" Subban
Matt Shelley
Tony "KB" Moore
}}
Earth, Roots and Water was a Canadian reggae band from Toronto, Ontario, active in the 1970s. A house band for Summer Records, the group collaborated with several notable Jamaican reggae musicians.
History
Earth, Roots and Water was founded in the mid-1970s as a house band for Jerry Brown's Summer Records studio, built in the basement of his Malton, Ontario home.{{cite web|url=https://lightintheattic.net/artists/7-earth-roots-and-water |title=Earth, Roots, And Water |publisher=Light in the Attic Records |accessdate=April 21, 2020}} The band was composed of Adrian "Homer" Miller (vocals), Anthony "Base" Hibbert (bass), Colin "Zuba" Subban (drums), Matt Shelley (guitar) and Tony "KB" Moore (keyboards). The members were described as "mostly from Jamaica, but also a few Jamaicans from England and even one local kid."{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11310-innocent-youths/ |title=Earth, Roots and Water – Innocent Youths |website=Pitchfork |accessdate=April 21, 2020 |last=Tangari |first=Joe}} The band provided a dub-heavy sound for several prominent reggae musicians, including Jackie Mittoo, King Jammy, Johnny Osbourne and Stranger Cole.{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/earth_roots_water-innocent_youths |title=Earth, Roots And Water – Innocent Youths |website=Exclaim! |accessdate=April 21, 2020 |last=Pratt |first=Jerry}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/innocent-youths-mw0000785371 |title=Earth, Roots & Water – Innocent Youths |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=April 21, 2020 |last=Anderson |first=Rick}}
In 1977, Earth, Roots and Water's album, Innocent Youths, was released on Summer Records. Although only 500 pressings of the album were made, one copy was given to Sting when the band opened for The Police in Toronto. As a live band, Earth, Roots and Water gained notoriety in Toronto's reggae and punk scenes. In 1978, the band received recognition from Billboard, who called their sound "disco-reggae".{{cite journal |title=Disco-reggae is the music for Summer Records of Toronto. The label's first album features Earth, Roots and Water and is being retailed primarily in local r&b diskeries. |work=Billboard |date=March 25, 1978}}
In 2008, Light in the Attic Records released a remastered version of Innocent Youths, which received positive reviews from music critics.
Discography
- Innocent Youths (1977)