The Itals

{{Short description|Jamaican reggae group}} {{Use British English|date=January 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = The Itals | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = group_or_band | origin = | genre = Reggae | years_active = | label = Nighthawk, Rhythm Safari, RAS | website = | current_members = | past_members = }}

'''The Itals''' are a Jamaican reggae vocal group formed in 1976 by Alvin "Keith" Porter, Lloyd Ricketts, and Ronnie Davis (formerly a member of The Tennors),<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p2900/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=The Itals Biography |access-date=8 February 2008 |author=Steve Huey |year= |website=AllMusic}}</ref> all of whom had previously also recorded as solo artists.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae |year= 1998 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0242-9 }}</ref> All three had worked together in the late 1960s in The Westmorelites.<ref name="allmusic" /> The group recorded several albums through the late 1970s and 1980s, with Ronnie Davis going on to a successful solo career in 1997 as Ronnie Davis and Idren. The Itals' debut single, "In A Dis Ya Time", is regarded as the group's finest work, and topped the Jamaican chart.<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="Barrow">{{cite book |last=Barrow |first=Steve |author2=Dalton, Peter |title=Reggae: The Rough Guide |year=1997 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=1-85828-247-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/reggaeroughguide00barro }}</ref> 1987's ''Rasta Philosophy'' was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Reggae Album.<ref name="allmusic" /> The line-up has changed over the years, with former solo artist David Isaacs joining in 1987 when Ricketts was sentenced to a prison term, preventing him from travelling to the United States.<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="thom">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Dave |title=Reggae & Caribbean Music |year= 2002 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=0-87930-655-6 }}</ref> Davis left the group in 1994, and was replaced by Porter's daughter Kada.<ref name="allmusic" /> The Itals continued to tour in 2009 in support of the newly released ''Let Them Talk''. In 2011 original member Lloyd Ricketts was able to obtain a work permit and performed two shows with Porter and Davis before his death. Davis stepped away from The Itals again in 2012 and reunited with the Rocksteady group The Tennors, but Keith continued to tour with two of his children, Darien Porter and Kada Porter, providing harmonies. Porter released ''Mind Over Matter'', the remastered compilation of 22 early Itals songs and a solo album of reggae covers of classic R&B songs, called ''Let's Get it On'' in July 2015.

==Albums== *''The Early Recordings: 1971-1979'' (1984) Ital Music *''Brutal Out Deh'' (1981) Ital Music *''Give Me Power!'' (1983) Ital Music *''Rasta Philosophy'' (1986) Ital Music *''Cool and Dread'' (1989) Ital Music *''Easy to Catch'' (1991) Rhythm Safari *''Modern Age'' (1998) RAS *''Mi Livity'' (2003) Ital Music *''Let Dem Talk'' (2009) Ital Music *''Mind Over Matter'' (2015) Ital Music *''Get It On'' (2015) Ital Music *''Ital Music'' (2020) Ital Music

==Compilation albums== *''In A Dis Ya Time'' (2008) VP Records

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.roots-archives.com/artist/135 The Itals at Roots Archives]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Itals}} Category:Jamaican reggae musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1976