The Pioneers - Don’t You Know / Me Naw Go Believe (7”)

Format: 7" Vinyl
Catalogue No.: HRHSS0042
Barcode: 7141095213647
Release Date: 17 Jul 2026
Genre: Reggae

This 7 inch single is the first reissue ever of the super rare original 1968 Jamaican & British single The Pioneers’ “Don’t You Know” / “Me Naw Go A Believe” produced by Joe Gibbs.
The single was first issued in Jamaica in 1968 on the Pressure Beat label, using the alternate title spelling “Me Na Go A Bellevue” on some pressings. Later the same year, it was released in the United Kingdom on Amalgamated Records (catalogue AMG 833).
These singles showcase two popular Pioneers tracks and are now extremely rare and highly collectible, with prices reaching hundreds of dollars for clean copies…
The tracks have appeared only on later compilations, but no standalone vinyl reissue has existed until this edition. This is the first ever reissue on 7 inch vinyl since its 1968 releases.
 
ABOUT JOE GIBBS
Joe Gibbs (Joel Gibson) was one of the most prolific and influential producers in Jamaican music. His work from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s is considered essential by Reggae fans, documenting the transition from Rocksteady to Reggae and the birth of Dub. 
Late 1960s: Amalgamated beginnings
Joe Gibbs founded the Amalgamated label in 1967, scoring early Rocksteady hits like Roy Shirley’s “Hold Them”. He employed Lee “Scratch” Perry as an engineer before Perry left to form the Upsetters. Gibbs then relied on Niney the Observer to supervise sessions.
• Backing bands included Lynn Taitt & The Jets and the Hippy Boys, featuring Aston and Carlton Barrett.
• Artists included The Pioneers, Errol Dunkley, Ken Parker, The Heptones and many more.
• These singles are now highly collectable.
Early 1970s: International reach
• Scored a UK Top 10 hit with Nicky Thomas’ “Love of the Common People” in 1970.
• Expanded with labels like Jogib, Shock, and Pressure Beat, experimenting with new sounds and reaching overseas markets.
• Released compilations such as The Heptones and Friends, now prized by collectors.
1972–1975: The Mighty Two
• Partnered with engineer Errol Thompson, forming “The Mighty Two”, one of reggae’s most successful producer engineer duos.
• Their studio band The Professionals (Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar, Earl “Chinna” Smith) powered hundreds of singles.
• Produced hits like Dennis Brown’s “Money in My Pocket”, Big Youth’s “Ah So We Stay”, and Culture’s “Two Sevens Clash”.
• Gibbs and Thompson are credited with over 100 Jamaican number one hits during this period.

Mid 1970s: Roots and Dub
• Built a 16 track studio and pressing plant at Retirement Crescent, Kingston, in 1975.
• Expanded into Roots Reggae, Rockers, Lovers Rock, and Dub, producing artists like Gregory Isaacs, The Mighty Diamonds, and Culture.
• His dub albums, mixed by Errol Thompson, are considered classics, blending heavy bass, echo, and stripped down rhythms.
Over the years, Joe Gibbs’ productions shaped a fascinating kaleidoscope of the Jamaican Reggae music and its evolution.
Today, original Amalgamated singles are rare and highly popular with Reggae fans and collectors alike.

THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers were formed in 1962 by two brothers Derrick and Sidney Crooks and their friend Winston Hewitt later replaced by former Heptone Glen Adams.
The Pioneers' early singles were not successful, and the group broke up in 1967. Sydney started working at Joe Gibbs shop and then in the studio where he met a talented new young singer: Jackie Robinson.  The new Pioneers were reborn as a duo. They recorded several successful singles such as "Longshot" "Jackpot", "Catch the Beat" with Gibbs before joining producer Leslie Kong where they recorded Samfie Man which topped the Jamaican charts. They then recruited George Agard and became a trio again. 
They scored in the charts again with "Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)" a sequel to “Long Shot”, the tragic story of a racehorse that never won and died racing!  “Kick De Bucket” became an instant hit both in Jamaican and in the U.K.  particularly among skinheads in 1969.  More hits followed and the band moved to the UK in 1970. Over time, their sound changed and became more pop oriented. They eventually recorded soul albums with Eddy Grant as a producer in 1976. It was not successful and the band split… before reforming. They have been performing sporadically since then.  

A SIDE:
Title: "DON’T YOU KNOW" Artist: THE PIONEERS
Year: 1968
Genre: early Reggae
Produced by Joe Gibbs
A quintessential 1968 Amalgamated era performance, this killer up-tempo early Reggae track is extremely popular for its cool harmonies allied to a punchy heavily syncopated rhythm and lyrics that blend romantic themes with the emerging language of early reggae.
Super rare and super cool!

B SIDE:
Title: "ME NAW GO A BELIEVE" - Artist: THE PIONEERS -
Year: 1968
Genre: Rocksteady
Produced by Joe Gibbs
This mid-tempo sweet sounding song is in fact more tragic than it seems at first… The mistitled "ME NAW GO A BELIEVE" really means “Me Not Go To Bellevue”, Bellevue being Jamaica's premier mental health institution where Don Drummond spent time and died in 1969. The song impregnated of Jamaican patois, seems to be about a man refusing to go the infamous psychiatric hospital, maybe a reference to Don Drummond life and death… Nevertheless, this is another top song by The Pioneers and a perfect fit for the more frantic A side…