Roots Reggae(1971)[Unreleased Album] Captain Rootsman - The Twelve Tribes Chant

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Description

“The Twelve Tribes Chant” is a rare, unreleased spiritual concept album by Captain Rootsman, recorded in 1971 deep in the Jamaican hills. Inspired by the Biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel and steeped in Rastafari mysticism, the album is a powerful blend of roots reggae, Nyabinghi drumming, and militant dub.

Each track embodies the spirit of one tribe — from the roaring energy of Judah to the meditative calm of Asher — creating a sacred, trance-like journey through ancestral memory and prophetic fire. The production is raw and organic, using natural cave reverb, handmade percussion, and live chants recorded under the stars.

Unreleased due to the political volatility of the time, “The Twelve Tribes Chant” survives as a whispered legend — a ritual of resistance, prophecy, and deep spiritual connection to Zion.

🔥 Concept:
“The Twelve Tribes Chant” was Captain Rootsman’s boldest spiritual project — a concept album inspired by the Biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel, deeply rooted in Rastafarian mysticism. Each track represents one tribe, blending militant drums, slow-burning riddims, and ancestral chants. The project was said to be “too revolutionary” for release during the political tension of early 1970s Jamaica.

Rootsman recorded this album in the Blue Mountains using natural reverb caves and handmade instruments. The atmosphere is raw, meditative, and militant — a sacred fusion of reggae and spiritual warfare.

🎤About the artist:
Captain Rootsman (born Wycliffe “Roots” Bennett, 1935 – 1998) was a legendary but largely underground figure in the golden age of 1960s Jamaican reggae. A former fisherman from Trenchtown, Kingston, he was known for fusing roots reggae, Nyabinghi drumming, and spiritual dub into deeply prophetic music that resonated with the oppressed and spiritually awakened.

He earned the nickname “Captain” not just from his years on the sea, but also from the way he led his band and community like a righteous mariner steering through Babylon’s storm. His lyrics reflected the themes of repatriation, resistance, and Rastafari revelation, often delivered with thunderous chants and sea-inspired metaphors.

Though he never achieved mainstream fame, Captain Rootsman was deeply respected among conscious musicians and Rasta elders. He released only a handful of singles — like “Row Jah Boat” and “Steering the Ark” — but recorded several unreleased albums, now considered lost treasures among vinyl collectors.

A spiritual man to the end, he retired to the coast of Portland Parish, where he spent his final years chanting psalms by the sea. His influence lives on in whispers, bootlegs, and the works of artists he quietly mentored.

Captain Rootsman remains a mythic voice in the roots reggae tradition — a prophet of the tide, lost but never forgotten.


📀Tracklist
00:01 1.Chant of Judah (Lion Roar Dub)
03:12 2.Simeon the Mystic Drummer
07:02 3.Levi's Temple Fire
10:12 4.Dan the Serpent Watcher
13:47 5.Naphtali Rides the Storm
17:07 6.The Twelve Tribes Chant (Final Ritual Dub)

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