In the midst of all the tributes to Etta James and Jam Master Jay recently, it’s perhaps understandable that the passing of legendary Jamaican singer and producer Winston Riley–who slipped away the same week, after remaining in a coma since November–went largely unnoticed in mainstream music circles. Understandable but not justified. Riley, who began his career covering doo-wop classics in the pioneering rocksteady vocal group The Techniques was a sort of living bridge from the pre-reggae era to the dancehall future, spanning almost every stylistic evolution in between. In their top 10 list for this week, our channel partners LargeUp run down his biggest contributions, which also serve as mile markers for Jamaican music generally. DJs and rap historians, take note: more than a few of them–tunes like Dave & Ansell Collins “Double Barrel”; Sister Nancy‘s “Bam Bam” and  Tenor Saw‘s “Ring The Alarm”; among others–have influenced the direction of hip-hop as well through their second life as instantly recognizable samples. Enjoy The Techniques’ immortal “Queen Majesty” (above) and get the rest of the selection with the full post:

>>>Get the full Top 10 at LargeUp