Jamaica is an island nation located in the Caribbean Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
In the late 1950s, Edward Seaga founded the label WIRL (West Indies Recording Limited) and signed Byron Lee & the Dragonaires, Slim Smith, along with the duo Joe Higgs and Roy Wilson, who scored the massive 1959 ska hit “Manny Oh” that sold over 30,000 copies for Seaga.
The influence of Jamaican record producer Duke Reid upon the development of the Jamaican music industry can never be overstated. During the 1950s, he dominated the island’s sound system scene, initially specializing in rare R&B imports from the United States before turning to local talent to create ‘exclusives’ for his powerful sound.
These early productions proved so popular that many were subsequently officially released as 7” singles, primarily on the distinctive ‘Duke Reid’s’ record label in Jamaica, and Melodisc’s famed ‘Blue Beat’ subsidiary in the UK.
Randy’s Record Mart was the leading recording studio and record shop in Kingston, and the heart of reggae music between the late 1960s and 1980s. Reggae pioneers Vincent Chin and his wife Patricia moved their record store to 17 North Parade, a former ice cream parlor in downtown Kingston.
It quickly became the center of the burgeoning reggae music scene, distributing foreign and local music throughout the island. Above the new store, they constructed a recording studio called “Randy’s Studio 17” that became the recording facility of choice for the majority of reggae’s most prominent artists, writers and producers.
Despite the popularity and influence of Duke Reid’s early works, a serious anthology of his recorded output from this period remained unavailable until 2022. The 3 CD boxed set Duke’s Cookies, Duke Reid’s Mento, Shuffle Blues & Ska 1960-62 combined major Jamaican hits, performed by some of the island’s leading foundation artists, with almost forgotten rarities from one-hit wonders.
Jamaican Musical Genres
Dub – Jamaican roots electronic music, created by skillful, artistic re-engineering of recorded tracks. Dub originated in the studios of Jamaica in the early mid and late 1970s. Producers like Mad Professor, King Tubby, Scientist and Lee “Scratch” Perry would take a song or a “rhythm” and remixed it into several different “versions”.
Reggae – Reggae is a slow tempo rhythmic style that originated in Jamaica. It derived from from two popular homegrown dance styles that preceded it, ska and rocksteady, both influenced by American R&B and jump blues. Other influences that contributed to the development of reggae include Mento, a Jamaican folk music closely related to Trinidadian calypso, the religious drumming known as nyahbingi, and American rock.
The development of reggae is intertwined with the history of Rastafarianism, a spiritual, social, and political movement that began to develop among the island’s poor during the 1930s. Jamaican producer Joe Gibbs left an indelible mark on reggae music with numerous record hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Bob Marley became the most famous reggae artist. The 4-CD boxed set Songs Of Freedom contains some of his greatest hits.
In 2007, VP Records launched the 17 North Parade imprint that pays homage to the historic location of Randy’s Record Mart, the premier recording studio and record shop in Kingston, and the hotspot for Reggae music between the late 1960s and 1970s.
Centered in its rich musical history, the address that once housed a 4-track studio and local record store also birthed the world’s largest reggae label, and helped introduce the genre’s unmistakable sound and its many stars.
Ska – Fast paced music that originated in Kingston in the 1950s and preceded reggae. Ska is rooted in American rhythm and blues. It features syncopated beats and a small brass section. Ska was “rediscovered” by British new wave groups in the 1980s.
Jamaican Musicians
Andrew Tosh
BB Seaton
Bob Marley
Buju Banton
Culture
Damian Marley
Desmond Dekker
Don Carlos
Dub Syndicate
Ernest Ranglin
Everton “Blender”
Fully Fullwood
Gregory Isaacs
I-Threes
Junior Marvin
Junior Reid
Ky-Mani Marley
Luciano
Monty Alexander
Morgan Heritage
Queen Ifrica
The Itals
The Meditations
Stephen Marley
The Melodians
Third World
Toots & The Maytals
Ziggy Marley
