Duke Reid

Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD (* 1915 in Portland ; † 1975 ), was a Jamaican music producer, DJ and owner of a record company.

In the 1950s he operated Duke Reid's the Trojan, one of the sound systems that were very popular in Jamaica at the time , in which the equipment was driven from place to place on the back of a truck. In the 1960s, he founded the Treasure Island record label, named after his liquor store . Reid mainly produced Ska and Rocksteady here . He was very active until the early 1970s, often working with the legendary U-Roy toaster . He died in early 1975 after a serious illness from which he suffered for about a year.

biography

After ten years as a Jamaican police officer, he resigned to run the existing liquor store The Treasure Isle Grocery and Liquor Store together with his wife .

Reid got into the music business by first setting up a sound system and moving from place to place with it. Soon he was also a promoter and DJ . A short time later he was also the sponsor and presenter of a radio show called Treasure Isle Time . A lover of jazz and blues at heart , Duke chose Tab Smith 's My Mother's Eyes as the theme music for his radio show. One of his favorite artists was Fats Domino , whose influence on Duke Reid's early work is unmistakable. Reid's early musical productions were recorded in other people's studios, but when the still-operating liquor store moved from Kingston's Pink Lane to Bond Street, Reid set up his own studio above the store. He became the owner of a number of record labels, the best known of which was Treasure Isle and Dutchess. Much of his income came from contracts with various British companies, some of which produced special Duke Reid labels.

He dominated the Jamaican music scene in the 1960s, specializing in Ska and Rocksteady. Nevertheless, his love for American jazz, blues and soul was always recognizable. At the beginning of the 1970s, Reid's ailing health and the trend towards roots reggae influenced by the Rastafarian movement led to a noticeable decline in publications by Treasure Isle. Reid continued to be known mainly for bringing out the toastings of various DJs, especially those of U-Roy and Dennis Alcapone , but also such oddities as Cynthia Richards' "Aily-I".

Around the same time, Reid's protégé Justin Hinds noticed that his protégé was in poor health and called a doctor. This diagnosed cancer and Reid decided to sell his record label to Sonia Pottinger , the widow of his late friend Lenford "Lennie the King" Pottinger, who was already an established music producer. He worked as a magistrate until his death in early 1975 .

In October 2007, Reid was posthumously awarded the Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander.

Discography (selection)

• Various Artists - Soul To Soul DJ's Choice - 1973 - Trojan Records (1995)
• Various Artists - Gems From Treasure Isle - 1966-1968 - Trojan Records (1982)
• Various Artists - Ba Ba Boom Duke Reid - 1967-1972 - Trojan Records (1994)
• Various Artists - Duke Reid's Treasure Chest - Heartbeat Records (1992)
• Various Artists - Treasure Isle Dub Vol 01
• Various Artists - Version Affair Vol 01 - Lagoon (1992)
• Various Artists - Version Affair Vol 02 - Lagoon (1993)
• Various Artists - Sir Coxsone & Duke Reid In Concert At Forresters Hall - Studio One

Web links

• Duke Reid at Allmusic (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ I owe it all to my nation ( Memento of the original from February 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Jamaica Gleaner October 16, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2011.