West Indies Records Limited
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West Indies Records Limited
West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) was a recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica established by future Prime Minister Edward Seaga in 1958. Seaga recruited and recorded many artists such as Higgs and Wilson, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. As Seaga pursued his political career he sold it to Byron Lee in 1964 who renamed it Dynamic Sounds. Dynamic became one of the best-equipped studios in the Caribbean, attracting both local and international recording artists including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon and The Rolling Stones. History The West Indies Records Limited studio was established by Edward Seaga in 1958. Seaga recruited local artists from Vere John's talent show. WIRL recorded artists such as Higgs and Wilson, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. Byron Lee and the Dragonaires recorded their debut single "Dumplin's" in 1959 at WIRL. Higgs and Wilson's track " Oh Manny Oh" sold more than 50,000 copies in Jamaica in 1960.Walters, Basil (2012)Roy Wilson is dead: Pioneer singer dies in ...
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Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. In the Americas, Kingston is the largest predominantly English-speaking city in the Caribbean. The local government bodies of the parishes of Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated by the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation Act of 1923, to form the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC). Greater Kingston, or the "Corporate Area" refers to those areas under the KSAC; however, it does not solely refer to Kingston Parish, which only consists of the old downtown and Port Royal. Kingston Parish had a population of 89,057, and St. Andrew Parish had a population of 573,369 in 2011 Kingston is only bordered by Saint Andrew to the east, west and north. The geographical border for the parish of K ...
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Hopeton Lewis
Hopeton Lewis (3 October 1947 – 4 September 2014) was a Jamaican born singer of rocksteady and reggae, an arranger, and radio music presenter. Biography Lewis was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He sang in church from an early age, and started performing as a youth, forming a singing group called the Regals. By the mid-1960s, he began recording and had one of the earliest rocksteady hits with "Take It Easy" in late 1966.Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rough Guide To Reggae", Rough Guides, The track was recorded with Lynn Taitt and the Jets, and is regarded as one of the first rocksteady singles. He lived the later period of his life in Brooklyn, New York, where he presented a show on Grace Deliverance Radio.Campbell, Howard (2014)Singer Hopeton Lewis is dead", '' Jamaica Observer'', 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014 Lewis died on 4 September 2014 at his home in Brooklyn, aged 66, ...
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Record Labels Established In 1958
A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, record used to start an operating system ** Storage record, a basic input/output structure Documents * Record, a document ** Business record, of economic transactions ** Criminal record, a list of a person's criminal convictions ** Docket (court), the summary of proceedings in a court (US) ** Medical record, of a person's medical history and treatments ** Minutes, a summary of the proceedings at a meeting ** Public records, information that has been filed or recorded by public agencies ** Recording (real estate), the act of documenting real estate transactions ** Service record, usually associated with military service ** Transcript (law), a verbatim ''record'' of some proceedings, in particular a court transcript is a record of a law ...
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Chaka Demus & Pliers
Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus (born John Taylor) and singer Pliers (born Everton Bonner), known for their hits " Tease Me" and "Murder She Wrote". As a duo, they enjoyed more commercial success with mainstream pop fans after their collaboration began in the early 1990s than either had in their previous solo careers. Career Both artists were established musicians when they teamed up in 1991 after performing together in Miami, both having worked as solo artists, and Pliers as a duo with Pinchers.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae &Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 94–96 Their early hits together included "Gal Wine", recorded for producer Ossie Hibbert. They went on to work with a string of producers, including Ranking Joe, Jah Screw, Prince Jammy, and Mafia & Fluxy, with several of their most successful single tracks included on their debut album ''Gal Wine'' (1992). They appeared at Reggae Sunsplash in 1992, and the following ...
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Murder She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series focuses on the life of Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer and amateur detective, who finds herself becoming involved in solving a series of murders that take place in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, as well as across the United States and abroad. The program ran for 12 seasons from September 30, 1984, to May 19, 1996, for a total of 264 episodes, and included amongst its recurring cast Tom Bosley, William Windom and Ron Masak, as well as a vast array of guest cast members including Michael Horton, Keith Michell and Julie Adams. The series proved a ratings hit during its broadcast, becoming a staple of CBS Sunday night TV schedule for around a decade, while achieving distinction as one of the most successful and longest-running te ...
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Max Romeo
Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith; 22 November 1944)"Respect to the Max!"
'''', 23 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014
is a Jamaican and recording musician who has achieved chart success in his home country and in the United Kingdom. He had several hits with the vocal group the Emotions. His song "



Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook (3 March 1927 – 5 May 1998) was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One Studios in the 1970s. Biography McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in 1933. He took up the tenor saxophone at the age of eleven, when he was a pupil at the Alpha School, and eventually joined Eric Deans' Orchestra. In 1954, he left for an engagement in Nassau, Bahamas, after which he ended up in Miami, Florida, and it was here that McCook first heard John Coltrane and fell in love with jazz. McCook returned to Jamaica in early 1962, where he was approached by a few local producers to do some recordings. Eventually he consented to record a jazz session for Clement "Coxson" Dodd, which was issued on the album as ''Jazz Jamaica''. His first ska recording was an adaptation of Ernest Gold’s "Exodus", recorded in Novembe ...
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Freddie McKay
Freddie McKay (sometimes Freddy McKay) (1947 – 19 November 1986) was a Jamaican singer, whose career spanned the rocksteady and reggae eras. Biography McKay, born in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, is regarded as one of the most soulful singers to come out of Jamaica.Foster, Chuck (1999) ''Roots Rock Reggae'', Billboard Books, , p. 260 McKay first recorded for producer Prince Buster in 1967, his first hit coming the same year with "Love Is A Treasure", recorded for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle set-up.Larkin, Colin: ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', 1998, Virgin Books, McKay then enjoyed a fruitful spell with Coxsone Dodd, recording a number of popular songs for Studio One backed by The Soul Defenders,Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, including "High School Dance", "Sweet You Sour You", and "Picture on the Wall", the latter the title track of his 1971 debut album. A second album, ''Lonely Man'' followed in 1974. McKay record ...
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Barry Biggs
Barry Biggs (born 1946 St. Andrew, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer, best known in the UK for his cover of the Blue Magic song, "Sideshow", which got to number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1977. Career Biggs worked as a recording engineer and cameraman with the Jamaican Broadcasting Company, and also spent time as a member of the band the Astronauts, before becoming the lead singer for Byron Lee's Dragonaires. It was at Lee's Dynamic Sounds studio (where he also worked as a producer and engineer) that Biggs recorded his first Jamaican hit, a cover of the Osmonds' "One Bad Apple". He broke through to international success in 1976 with "Work All Day", which had been recorded seven years earlier. Biggs had six hit singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1976 and 1981, the most successful of these, "Sideshow", reaching number 3 in January 1977. He recorded two songs with Bunny Lee; "Sincerely" and "You're Welcome" which did well in the reggae charts. He topped the reggae ch ...
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John Holt (singer)
John Kenneth Holt CD (11 July 1947 – 19 October 2014) was a Jamaican reggae singer who first found fame as a member of The Paragons, before establishing himself as a solo artist. Early life Holt was born in the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston in 1947.Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 117–120. His mother Amy was a nurse.Ustanny, Avia (2004),You Inspired Me", '' Jamaica Gleaner'', 7 November 2004. Retrieved 25 October 2014. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns, winning 28 contests, some broadcast live on Radio Jamaica.Larkin, Colin (1998), ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, .Black, Roy (2014)Holt: One Of The Most Enduring Jamaican Singers, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 23 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014. Career and recognition He recorded his first single in 1963 with "Forever I'll Stay"/"I Cried a Tear" for record producer Leslie Kong, and also recorde ...
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Eric Donaldson
Eric Donaldson (born 11 June 1947 in Bog Walk, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter. He originated in Saint Catherine, Jamaica. Biography Born in Kent Village, about 2 miles from Bog Walk, Donaldson first recorded for Studio One in 1964, although producer Clement Dodd declined to release the material.Prato, GregEric Donaldson Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 6 August 2014Alleyne, Mike (2012) ''The Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Sterling, , p. 70 In the mid-1960s he formed The West Indians with Leslie Burke and Hector Brooks, and they had a hit with the J.J. Johnson-produced "Right On Time" in 1968, going on to record with Lee "Scratch" Perry and subsequently changing their name to the Kilowatts, but without further success. Donaldson then pursued a solo career, and submitted "Cherry Oh Baby" to the 1971 Jamaican Festival Song Competition, going on to win the competition and giving him a big Jamaican hit single. Donaldson has won the competition six times, in 1971, 1977, ...
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Toots & The Maytals
The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. Frontman Toots Hibbert, who died in 2020, was considered a reggae pioneer on par with Bob Marley. His soulful vocal style was compared to Otis Redding, and led him to be named by ''Rolling Stone'' as one of the 100 Greatest Singers. After Hibbert's death, the Maytals indicated that they would continue as a working group. Their 1968 single " Do the Reggay" was the first song to use the word "reggae", coining the name of the genre and introducing it to a global audience. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' credits Toots and the Maytals in the etymology of the word "Reggae". According to Island Records founder Chris Blackwell "The Maytals were unlike anything else ... sensational, raw and dynamic." Career Formation and early success Frederic ...
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