If this is your first page of entry please head for the start and read the articles in order! Laurel Aitkens was born in 1927 in Cuba and his and family moved to Western Kingston, Jamaica in 1938 with his family when he was eleven years old. Laurel ventured unto the entertainment stage to play the roll of a singer appearing on talent shows singing in the style of the American rhythm & blues artistes of the likes of Joe Turner and Louis Jordan. Laurel in his early years showed his versatility by performing in clubs and open air venues blending a mixture of musical genre. When he began his career, soul was not heard of. Soul came into existence about mid 60's. What had sounded like soul music before the 60’s was known as the scroll or ballads You could say that Nat King Cole was a soul singer but he was in fact known as singer of slow ballads. Artistes such as Lavern Baker, Ivory Joe Hunter and Chuck Willis were the songsters who made the scroll popular. Songs like “What Am I Living For” by Ivory Joe Hunter, “My Happiness” by Lavern Baker and C. C. Ryder by Chuck Willis, even the soulful ballad Confidential by Sonny Knight all of these tunes were known as the scroll and they were the favourite of sound system followers in Jamaica. Sound system' DJ's played these tunes during the wee hours of the night. | 
