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Shame And Scandal In The Family, Shawn Elliott
“Shame and Scandal in the Family” by Puerto Rican singer and actor Shawn Elliott was a massive international hit released on Roulette Records between 1964 and 1965. The song directly connects back to The Skatalites, as they famously backed Peter Tosh and The Wailers on a legendary ska cover of the exact same track in 1965.
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The Story of the Song
- The Plot: The track tells a humorous, rhythmic story of a young man in Trinidad trying to find a wife. Every time he finds a suitable girl, his father tells him, “You can’t marry this girl… This girl is your sister, but your mama don’t know.” Ultimately, the boy complains to his mother, who laughs and delivers the punchline: “Go man, go. Your daddy ain’t your daddy, but your daddy don’t know!”
- The Origin: Though Shawn Elliott popularized it as a pop-calypso crossover hit in Europe and South America, the song was originally written by calypso singer Sir Lancelot as the “Fort Holland Calypso Song” for the 1943 movie I Walked with a Zombie.
The Skatalites Connection
In 1965, The Skatalites capitalized on the global popularity of Shawn Elliott’s version by laying down an upbeat, driving ska rhythm at Studio One in Kingston. They served as the backing band while a young Peter Tosh handled the lead vocals, with The Wailers providing harmonies. It became one of the most famous Jamaican ska covers of the era.
Would you like to hear more about The Wailers’ version of this song, or perhaps explore other pop hits that The Skatalites transformed into ska classics?
