West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) was a recording studio in

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 Inter ...

established by future Prime Minister

Edward Seaga Edward Philip George Seaga ( or ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005.Higgs and Wilson, and

Byron Lee and the Dragonaires Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (known as Byron Lee's Dragonaires after Lee's death and now The Dragonaires) are a Jamaican ska, calypso and soca band. The band played a crucial pioneering role in bringing Caribbean music to the world. Byron L ...

. As Seaga pursued his political career he sold it to

Byron Lee Byron Lee ,
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008. born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo 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 Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

History

The West Indies Records Limited studio was established by

. 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 Florida
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 31 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012 West Indies Records Limited became the most successful record company in the West Indies. WIRL had the franchise for Columbia Records in Jamaica.

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name ''Trojan'' comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck t ...

handled the studios albums abroad and released compilations of the studios recordings. WIRL also established a Barbadian division.

Dynamic Sounds

As Seaga pursued his political career he sold it to

Byron Lee Byron Lee ,
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008. born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee ...

in 1964 after fire had destroyed the pressing plant on the same site. Byron Lee renamed it Dynamic Sounds and soon rebuilt a new pressing facility on the site. It soon became one of the best-equipped studios in the Caribbean, attracting both local and international recording artists, including

and

(who recorded their song " Angie" there).Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, Lee's productions included

Boris Gardiner Boris Gardiner (born 13 January 1943) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter and bass guitarist. He was a member of several groups during the 1960s before recording as a solo artist and having hit singles with " Elizabethan Reggae" (in 1970), " I Wann ...

's ''Reggae Happening'',

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 start ...

's ''Grooving Out on Life'', and

The Slickers The Slickers were a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae group in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Slickers centred on Derrick Crooks, one of the founding members of The Pioneers along with his brother Sydney. In the mid-1960s, The Slickers consi ...

' "Johnny Too Bad". Dynamic also acts as one of Jamaica's leading record distributors. In Jamaica, Dynamic released records from

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. ...

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 ...

, John Holt,

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 engine ...

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 s ...

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 S ...

, and

Max Romeo Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith; 22 November 1944)"Respect to th ...

on various imprints including Jaguar, Panther, Afrik, and Dragon. Notable recordings there included

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 f ...

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 wi ...

References

{{Authority control Record labels established in 1958 Jamaican record labels 1958 establishments in Jamaica