The first version of the Uniques formed in 1966 when two members of the Techniques, Slim Smith and Franklyn White, joined with Roy Shirley to create a new group. The original lineup recorded a few ska sides for J.J. Johnson that year before disbanding, only to re-form again almost immediately, this time with a front line of Smith, Lloyd Charmers, and Jimmy Riley. Led by Smith's high and emotional tenor, the Uniques represented, by many accounts, the pinnacle of Jamaica's harmony trio genre. The group folded in 1969, with each member pursuing a solo career. Smith's tragic death in 1973 ended any possibility of the group reuniting. ~ Steve Leggett