Keith and Tex

Keith Rowe and Philip “Tex” Dixon were two suburban Kingston kids who wanted nothing more than to make ska music. Originally two members of a five-person vocal group, the lads were turned down by Jamaica’s top producers of the late 60s, Coxsone Dodd, Prince Buster, and Duke Reid. Dejected, the other three vocalists quit, but Keith and Tex stuck with it. It was Derrick Harriot who gave the duo a chance in 1966, when the pair recorded a handful of singles such as “Stop That Train” and a cover of the Temptations’ “Don’t Look Back”. The tracks were instrumental in ska’s evolution from its bubbly beginnings to its soulful second form, rocksteady. “Stop That Train” and a second single called “Tonight” proved to be hits on Jamaican radio and Keith and Tex became staples of the Kingston scene. Despite this, Keith and Tex broke up in 1970, moving their families to the USA and Canada respectively. However, while they were apart, reggae and ska became a worldwide phenomenon thanks to superstars like Bob Marley. For 24 years “Keith and Tex” was just a name on... more...