Biography
Harold Richardson, along with Count Lasher, may have been the very best singer in mento, or, at least, my favorite. His voice is a country voice -- a mento voice -- high, nasal and endlessly expressive (and no doubt a major influence on Stanley Beckford ). Throughout his recording career, which began in the early 1950s, Harold often performed with his group, The Ticklers. The other members of this trio were Danny Slue (a.k.a. Lord Danny Boy) on rumba box and Charles Sang on guitar.
Harold also recorded as lead singer for a variety of other groups. His career extended into the 1960s when he appeared on some middle period hotel LPs and singles. Sadly, this talent died too young. On December 5, 1965, he passed in his early thirties.
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This last piece of information came from Annmarie Prendergast, Harold Richardson's daughter. She also provided information about Harold's family. He was married to Joy (nee Tewari) who still resides in Jamaica. The Richardson's had 5 children, one boy (Harold Junior, the eldest child) and Annmarie and her three sisters. Says Annmarie, "If he were alive he would cherish the fact that he currently has 12 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Two of us children sing, and one grandchild sings even better than we all put together." Another mento star, Hubert Porter, was a close family friend. The eldest child was just 15 when he passed. "All we ever had of him were the memories of his beautiful voice charming my mom and us at times."
One of the grandchildren, Tamara Naar, sent me a family heirloom: the wonderful gallery of photographs below. Notice the big smiles on the faces of the people photographed with the band in many of these photos. Apparently few musical groups lived up to their name as much as The Ticklers.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.