Cornell Campbell

Cornel Campbell, aka Don Cornel or Don Gorgon (born 23 November 1945 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer, best known for his trademark falsetto voice, and his recordings at Studio One in the late 1960s and his later work with Bunny Lee in the 1970s.

Biography

Campbell has one of Jamaican music's distinctive falsettos. His first name was mistakenly spelled with two L's on a record and has been commonly misquoted since. He prefers the correct spelling: Cornel Campbell. Campbell's singing career began in his local church choir.

At age eleven, in 1956, he was introduced to trombonist Rico Rodriguez, who took him to Clement Dodd's studio, where he recorded his first single, "My Treasure". Further singles followed, including "Turndown Date", as Jamaican music transformed from rhythm and blues to ska, with backing from The Skatalites.

He later recorded for King Edwards backed by The Bell Stars, before moving on to Duke Reid's Treasure Isle, where he formed The Sensations along with Jimmy Riley, Buster Riley, and Aaron Davis. When The Sensations split, Campbell emerged as leader of his own new vocal group, The Eternals, with Ken Price and Errol Wisdom, recording perennial favourites such as "Queen of the Minstrel" and "Stars". He was also briefly a member of The Uniques in the 1960s, although he may not have contributed to any recordings by the group at that time.