As iconic as Motown was to soul, or Blue Note for
jazz, the legendary Jamaican reggae label Studio One was
the creation of one of music's greatest impresarios,
Clement ''Sir Coxsone'' Dodd. Throughout the 1950s,
Dodd's Downbeat Soundsystem was the most important sound
system in downtown Kingston's burgeoning dancehall
scene, fighting off the competition of Duke Reid, Tom
the Great Sebastian and others. Dodd began producing his
own records in the late 1950s and in 1963, the year
after Jamaican Independence, he launched Studio One.
Once described by Chris Blackwell as the ''University of
Reggae,'' Studio One is by far the most important record
label in the history of reggae music, its artists
comprising an A-Z of Jamaican music: it was there that
Bob Marley and the Wailers, Horace Andy, Alton Ellis,
Freddie McGregor, The Skatalites, Marcia Griffiths,
Burning Spear, The Heptones, Toots and the Maytals and
many more artists became stars. This deluxe hardback
volume is the first ever to tell the story of Studio One
and the many artists whose careers it launched. It
features hundreds of stunning full-size Studio One
record cover designs and original artwork, as well as
rare and exclusive photographs, original flyers and
artist interviews. As Jamaica approaches its fiftieth
anniversary of independence, ''Studio One Records''
offers a timely look at reggae music's most legendary
record label and the artists and musicians that it made
famous. |
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