Alton Ellis OD

They recorded a follow-up, "My Heaven", before Eddy moved to the United States. Alton continued to work for Dodd and also recorded for his arch-rival, Duke Reid on his Treasure Isle label. By the mid 1960s, ska was moving on and the beat was slowing down to rocksteady he made futher hits such as "Don't Trouble People", "Dance Crasher", and "Cry Tough", Recording with a backing trio, The Flames (the varying line-up of which included his brother Leslie Ellis, David "Baby G" Gordon and Winston Jarrett, Alton scored big with the hits "Girl I've Got a Date", "Cry Tough" and "Get Ready - Rock Steady", which was the first song to refer to the name of the newer genre. As rocksteady dominated the Jamaican airwaves for the next two years, Alton continued to score hits for Treasure Isle, working with artists such as Lloyd Charmers, Phyllis Dillon and The Heptones. His Mr. Soul of Jamaica album is regarded as one of the definitive rocksteady albums.

Alton continued to be active on the reggae scene until his health began to deteriorate. In December 2007, he was admitted to hospital in London for treatment of cancer of the lymph glands. He is the younger brother of the late Hortense Ellis, and the father of fifteen children including Noel Ellis and Christopher Ellis, who are both reggae singers. Ellis died in October 2008 after collapsing during a show in August.