NOEL HAWKS | Reggae Tastemaker

A HISTORY OF THE JAMAICAN RECORDING INDUSTRY. BOOK THREE : ‘THE UPSETTER TO THE COMPUTER’ FROM THE BLACK ARK TO FIRE.

The growth of the Jamaican recording industry…by NOEL HAWKS & JAH FLOYD

Records have played an integral part in the history of Jamaican music and the importance of making records, as opposed to making music, can never be overstated. These are the stories, told through first-hand accounts wherever possible, of the men and women… manufacturers, musicians, singers, deejays, arrangers and record producers… who made the records and who made the sound of reggae available worldwide.

Book Three “seamlessly weaves quotes and recollections from the key players into the narrative to give the reader a unique, and genuine, insight into the development of Jamaican music and the business of selling it”. Illustrated throughout with period photos, artefacts & record labels this volume covers the work of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry at the Black Ark, Herman Chin Loy at Aquarius, Bob Marley at Tuff Gong, King Jammy’s technological revolution, King Tubby in the digital era and includes Chris Lane’s definitive history of the development of dub.

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“In this third volume the authors skilfully weave interview material into its narrative. Among other histories, it examines the work of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, who transcended genre and became author of his own productions and, in the process, influenced the development of the major global artist Bob Marley. It examines the development of dub, the studio process that transformed the music, and in doing so exerted yet another influence on popular music on the world scale. It also examines the work of Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James who utilised digital technological innovation to become a champion of sound system and record production and, thus, became the Eighties equivalent of the earlier innovator Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd.

All this, and much more, is told by many of the protagonists who created the phenomenon of reggae as a cultural force that has travelled far beyond the confines of Jamaica.”

Steve Barrow Co-Author of ‘Reggae The Rough Guide’

“I can confidently say, without fear of contradiction, that the final part of Noel Hawks’ & Jah Floyd’s trilogy is every bit as meticulously researched and mentally stimulating as the first two volumes. It may be that no history of Jamaican music can ever be totally definitive given how many of reggae’s key singers, players and producers had already left Earth before anyone had the opportunity to get their takes on how it evolved. But, as of now, you will not find a more accomplished telling of the tale than that which is presented across the three volumes of ‘Jamaican Recordings’… an Order of Distinction-worthy accomplishment that should henceforth become an essential component of everyone’s reggae library.”

Tony Rounce Ace Records Ltd