ENTITY · GROUP

The Mighty Diamonds

Well supported

The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican vocal harmony trio formed in Kingston in 1969, comprising Donald "Tabby" Shaw, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson and Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson. They became one of the defining roots-reggae harmony groups of the 1970s, most celebrated for the 1976 album "Right Time," recorded at Channel One with the Revolutionaries and produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and for the single "Pass the Kouchie." The group performed and recorded for decades until lead singer Tabby Shaw was killed in 2022.

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At a glance

Type: group →
Era: Rocksteady, reggae and dub →
Confidence: Well supported

Connections

Media & sources

Audio

The Mighty Diamonds — Right Time (1976 Channel One roots classic)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · performs

YouTube upload (channel: The Mighty Diamonds); surfaced via web search result and embedded as a discovery-only external reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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Mighty Diamonds - Pass The Kouchie

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · archive source

Community-archived Music Works recording; discovery-only embed.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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Right Time - Mighty Diamonds

SPOTIFY · rights discovery only · performs

Official spotify upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

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In stories

Story · ProbableWhen reggae became an album format

In the mid-to-late 1970s, international labels started signing Jamaican singles artists as album acts, and a run of records built to be heard start to finish redefined what a reggae release could be.

Story · Well supportedMusic Works '88: Gussie Clarke, the Rumours riddim and dancehall's clean crossover

A single 1988 rhythm carried Jamaican dancehall into American R&B radio.

Story · Well supportedFrom Brentford Road to a global No. 1: the long life of a Studio One riddim

How a 1968 Studio One instrumental travelled decades to become a worldwide hit.

Story · Well supportedThree-part harmony and the roots message

The vocal trio carried Rastafari's word from Studio One into the roots era.

Debate & reception

How people argued about the music — praise, criticism and public debate. See all debate & reception →

commentary

Pass the Dutchie: global No. 1, and the question of who gets paid

Two documented positions on reggae's cross-border hits, stated neutrally. One view celebrates 'Pass the Dutchie' as a showcase that carried Jamaican music and a Studio One rhythm to a worldwide audience; another emphasises the unresolved credit and publishing questions for the originators of 'Pass the Kouchie' and its rhythm source - a matter producer Gussie Clarke has publicly said pushed him toward music publishing. Neutral framing; no verdict, and no allegation against any individual. Sources: DancehallMag; Wikipedia (Pass the Kouchie / Pass the Dutchie); Jamaica Gleaner archive.

Stance: a global showcase for Jamaican music vs unresolved credit and publishing for the originators