Stafford Elliot (born 1955), better known as Fred Locks,[1] is a roots reggae singer best known for his mid-1970s single "Black Star Liners" and the album of the same name.
Like many of the Jamaican solo singers of the 1970s, Elliott began his career in the 1960s as part of a vocal harmony group, in his case a group he formed in secondary school, The Flames,[2] and in 1966 The Lyrics, who recorded for Coxsone Dodd in the late 1960s, with tracks such as "A Get It", "Girls Like Dirt", and "Hear What The Old Man Say".
[3][4] They later moved on to Vincent Chin's Randy's setup, recording "Give Thanks", "East to the Right", and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", also working with Lee "Scratch" Perry,[2] and released the self-financed "Sing A Long" in 1971 on their own Lyric label.
[1] Disillusioned by the financial side of the Jamaican music industry, Elliott immersed himself in the Rastafarian faith, living on the beach at Harbour View.
[3] In 1980, the trio travelled to the UK for a small tour, and began an association with London-based sound system operator and producer Lloyd Coxsone, who released a number of singles by the group, and also some Fred Locks solo records.