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| "Judge Not" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byBob Marley & Beverley's All-Stars | ||||
| B-side | "Do You Still Love Me?" | |||
| Released | December 1962 | |||
| Studio | Federal | |||
| Genre | Ska | |||
| Label | Beverley's | |||
| Songwriter | Bob Marley | |||
| Producer | Leslie Kong | |||
| Bob Marley & Beverley's All-Stars singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Judge Not" isBob Marley's first recorded single, recorded at Federal Studios and released onLeslie Kong'sBeverley's Records inJamaica in1962 and onIsland Records in the UK the following year.[1] On thisshuffle, pre-ska beat, Marley has a youthful voice, as he was 16 years old at the time of recording.Headley Bennett performed saxophone on this recording.[2] Though "Judge Not" failed to achieve much success, Marley was not discouraged and continued to record music. "Judge Not" was re-released in theSongs of Freedom album in 1992 as well as other compilations. The song was written by Helen Carter and Dolores Dinning and first recorded by American country music singerMargie Bowes (Hickory 1135, Nashville, 1960. B-side: "Are You Teasing Me"), also covered bySublime, and can be found on the box setEverything Under the Sun.
The song is about morality, and may have been based on the Biblical quote "Judge not lest ye be judged". Some of the song lyrics are paraphrased in the background vocals of the later Marley hit "Could You Be Loved".
Recorded at the same session, Bob Marley's second release on the Beverley's labelOne Cup of Coffee was also a country music cover version (written byClaude Gray) arranged on theshuffle beat that was popular in Jamaica at the time (ska only appeared on record the following year).
Ska band The Interrupters covered "Judge Not" on their 2014 debut albumThe Interrupters. The song is frequently included in their live sets.
