Earth, Roots and Water was founded in the mid-1970s as a house band for Jerry Brown's Summer Records studio, built in the basement of his Malton, Ontario home.[1][2] The band was composed of Adrian "Homer" Miller (vocals), Anthony "Base" Hibbert (bass), Colin "Zuba" Subban (drums), Matt Shelley (guitar) and Tony "KB" Moore (keyboards).[1] The members were described as "mostly from Jamaica, but also a few Jamaicans from England and even one local kid."[2] The band provided a dub-heavy sound for several prominent reggae musicians, including Jackie Mittoo, King Jammy, Johnny Osbourne and Stranger Cole.[2][3][4]
In 1977, Earth, Roots and Water's album, Innocent Youths, was released on Summer Records.[3] Although only 500 pressings of the album were made, one copy was given to Sting when the band opened for The Police in Toronto.[2] As a live band, Earth, Roots and Water gained notoriety in Toronto's reggae and punk scenes.[3] In 1978, the band received recognition from Billboard, who called their sound "disco-reggae".[5]
In 2008, Light in the Attic Records released a remastered version of Innocent Youths, which received positive reviews from music critics.[2][3][4]