Tenor Saw (born Clive Bright, February 11, 1966 - August 1988 Kingston, Jamaica) was a prominent dancehall singer in the 1980s. His best-known song was the 1985 hit "Ring the Alarm" on the "Stalag 17" riddim. Other well-known songs include "Roll Call" (1984, "Queen Majesty" riddim), "Pumpkin Belly" (1985, "Sleng Teng" riddim) and "Lots of Sign". Tenor Saw is one of the most influential singers of the early digital era; Tenor Saw's hypnotic wail was imbued with an almost religious fervour. He was raised in the Payne Avenue district of west Kingston, recording his debut, "Roll Call", in 1984 for George Phang's Powerhouse label after an introduction by Nitty Gritty. During 1985 he sang with Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion sound system and label, recording "Lots of Sign" and "Pumpkin Belly" (also versioned for King Jammy's). "Run Come Call Me" and "Fever" were also sizeable hits. None, however, could compare to "Ring the Alarm", which Tenor Saw voiced magnificently over Winston Riley's "Stalag" rhythm for the Techniques label. There was no bigger record that year and it continues to be regarded as an anthem in today's dancehalls. "Golden Hen" for Uptempo continued the sequence of consecutive hits into 1986, when Minott released his debut album, Fever. Tenor had already left for Miami and the Skengdon crew, where "Dancehall Feeling" and the posthumously released "Bad Boys" were recorded. After a trip to England and the successful "Never Work On A Sunday" for Donovan Germain, Tenor journeyed to New York in 1987. There he recorded the epic "Victory Train" with Freddie McGregor's Studio One Band, and further singles for Witty, Robert Livingston ("Come Me Just A Come"), and Jah Life. His duet with General Doggie on "Chill Out, Chill Out', for Digital English, was his last dancehall smash.
If Tenor Saw put out no song other than "Ring the Alarm," he would still hold a vital place in reggae history. That 1985 tune, one of about a million that have ridden the Stalag 17 rhythm that helped propel dancehall into the digital era, jumped out from the pack -- partly because it was released near the start of the digital craze and partly because it's so darn catchy -- to become a major hit. However, you won't find "Ring the Alarm" on Tenor Saw's debut solo album, Fever, as it focuses more on his work for Sugar Minott's Youth Promotion label. Still, even without that smash, this album is a testament to the legacy that he left in only four short years. Of the 10 songs on Fever, chances are you've heard 6, 8, or maybe all 10 of these classic rhythms. He may not have always been the first to use them (as on the Stalag-rhythm "Fever," the "Sleng Teng" rhythm "Pumpkin Belly," and "Jah Guide and Protect Me," which utilizes the bouncy beat from Carlton Livingston's "Chalice in Mind"), but Tenor Saw adopted them, adapted them, and made them into his own signature tunes. If you know "Ring the Alarm" (which you should), then you know Tenor Saw's style: airy voice, simply-structured (almost indistinct) repetitive melodies with short, barely sung notes, and simply irresistible. This is definitive old school dancehall, with simple, driving digital bass lines that command you to move. And, as an added bonus, this 1989 re-packaging gives you dubs of 8 of the 10 songs. This is a truly historic set.
Fever (Blue Mountain, 1986) Track Listing 1. Lots of Sign 2. Shirley Jones 3. Pumpkin Belly 4. Eni Meeni Mini Mo 5. Roll Call 6. Fever 7. Jah Guide and Protect Me 8. Rub-a-Dub Market 9. Run Come Call Me 10. Who's Gonna Help Me Praise 11. Surely Dub 12. Run Come Dub Me 13. Lots of Dub 14. Jah Guide Dub 15. Rub-a-Dub Dub 16. Dub Fever 17. Eni Meeni Mini Mo Dub 18. Praise Jah With Dub
Ring The Alarm is the title of one of the classic dancehall tunes of all time. Written and performed by Tenor Saw (Clive Bright), released in 1985 at the start of the Jamaican recording industry's digital revolution, it became an instant classic that is still drawn from many selectors record boxes to this day. The song was Tenor Saw's response when he felt the sound system he was performing for in a sound clash wasn't getting the recognition it deserved. That sound system was Sugar Minott's 'Youth Promotion' and it was Minott who released Saw's 1986 masterpiece, the LP 'Fever'. Ring The Alarm is the best known cut of one of the most infectious riddims ever, the 'Stalag' riddim, which is Winston Riley's (Techniques label) version of the organ instrumental 'Stalag 17' originally recorded in 1973 by Ansel Collins.
In August 1988 he was killed by a speeding car in Houston, Texas.
He died at 22 years of age; this was a great loss, not only for his family and friends, but for reggae music as well.
Jack Johnson's cover of Bob Marley's/Sublime's "Trenchtown Rock/Garden Grove" begins with him singing "Ring the Alarm"
Sublime's song "Jailhouse" on their self titled album is a mix of "Roll Call" and The Wailers "Jailhouse" with some of Bradley Nowell's Lyrics.
Supercat's song "Nuff man a Dead" is about the death of Tenor Saw and other superstars of the time. http://www.claat.com/article/articleview/656/1/129/
