Israel Vibration

A Jamaican reggae vocal group, Israel Vibration brings together three singers who have suffered from polio since childhood, and who have risen from poverty to international fame. Cecil "Skelly" Spence (b. 1952), Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig and Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin (b. 1955) were struck down at an early age by the polio epidemic then sweeping the island, and were placed in a specialized institution, the Mona Rehabilitation Center near Kingston, where they attended classes and learned music. Although Albert Craig left the institution for the Alpha School at the age of eight, he was reunited with his two friends when they were expelled. They lived in poverty and sang in the streets until they met members of the Twelve Tribes of Israel organization. Adopting the precepts of Rastafarianism and dreadlocked hair, the trio managed to finance the recording of their first single, "Why Worry", at Kingston's Treasure Isle studio in 1975. Success soon followed for Israel Vibration, who produced the album The Same Song (1976) and the following one, Unconquered People (1979), with the island's finest musicians, including Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Invited to the Sunsplash Reggae Festival in Montego Bay (1982), the trio signed with the American label RAS (Real Authentic Sound), under which they released Strength of My Life (1988), Praises (1990), Forever (1991), IV (1993) and On the Rock (1995), accompanied like their predecessors by dub versions. Noted for their vocal harmonies, the three singers became popular in the U.K. and Europe through their much-acclaimed live performances, as illustrated by the live album Live Again! (1997), until Albert Craig left the group to pursue a solo career. Now a duo, Israel Vibration recorded several albums and toured with The Roots Radics. Affiliated with French label Mediacom for the release of Stamina (2007) and Reggae Knights (2010), Cecil Spence and Lascelle Bulgin unveil a final album together entitled Play It Real (2015). Albert Craig's death on March 23, 2020 is followed by Cecil Spence's death from lung cancer on August 26, 2022. Now alone at the helm, Lascelle Bulgin called on Aston Barrett Jr. to produce the album Reggae Music Never Dies (2025).

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