Prince Lincoln Thompson, the leader of The Royal Rasses passed away on January 23rd 1999 of lung cancer.

Thompson began his recording career as a harmony singer with The Tartans in the rocksteady period, a band who also counted Cedric Myton (latterly of The Congos), and the late Devon Russel among their number. The band had a hit with 'Dance All Night', and cut a number of other sides before disbanding, leaving Lincoln to pursue a solo career.

Thompson eventually found himself at Clement Dodd's Studio 1, where he recorded 'Daughters Of Zion', 'Live Up To Your Name' and 'True Experience', before establishing his own God Sent record label. Toward the end of the '70's, the Rasses enjoyed local hits with 'Old Time Friend', 'Kingston 11' and the superb 'Love The Way It Should Be'. These singles led to a deal in the UK with United Artists Ballistic subsidery, and an album 'Humanity' was released in 1979.

The hope of cross over success however, was to prove beyond them and the follow up album 'Experience' failed to make the impact hoped for. More albums followed, with Lincoln crafting beautiful melodies without compromising his devotion to Rastafari. An album produced by English pop musician Joe Jackson, 'Natural Wild', was a typical Rasses collection, the high point being the glorious 'Peoples' Minds, but despite some favourable reviews, it was overlooked by many.

The Rootsman Blues album, released in the Winter of 1983, was to be Lincolns' final album for well over a decade. The album featured a recut of 'Love The Way It Should Be', as well as a tribute to Bob Marley, 'Hail Shanty', which was based around the 'Want More' riff.

A few singles appeared over the following years such as 'Wall Flower', but Lincoln eased off the music business and opened a shop in the Tottenham area of North London. The final album from Lincoln Thompson was released in 1997, after an American visitor heard some of his music playing in the shop, and agreed to fund the project. '21st Century' featured the wonderful 'Heroes Just The Same', and underlined what a great songwriter Thompson was.

With Lincoln Thompson's passing, reggae has lost one of it's great unsung heroes.

A.C. 27th June 1999

Recommended Albums:

Humanity
Experience
Ride With The Rasses
Natural Wild
Roots Man Blues
21st Century