The Pioneers

The Pioneers, a Jamaican reggae vocal trio, were formed in 1962 by brothers Sydney and Derrick Crooks alongside Winston Hewitt. Their early recordings, such as "Good Nanny" and "I'll Never Come Running Back to You", were self-produced at Treasure Isle studio. After Hewitt's departure in 1966, the group briefly included Glen Adams before disbanding mid-1967. Sydney Crooks then recruited Jackie Robinson, leading to a successful revival with singles like "Longshot" and "Jackpot". The trio later added George Agard and moved to the UK in 1970 following the hit "Long Shot Kick De Bucket". Their cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart in 1971, and "Give and Take" peaked at number 35 in January 1972. The Pioneers collaborated with Eddy Grant for the album Feel The Rhythm in 1976, marking a shift towards soul music. The group reformed multiple times, notably in 1999, and continued performing, including appearances at festivals like Maranhão Roots Reggae Festival in Brazil (2005) and Godiva Festival in Coventry, England (2006). Their song "Long Shot Kick de Bucket" was covered by The Specials on their UK Number 1 hit EP The Special AKA Live! in 1980, leading to a reissue of the original version which reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart.

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