Studio One (record label)

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This article is about the record label. For the TV series of the 1940s and 1950s, see Studio One (TV series). For the All Saints album, see Studio 1 (album).

Studio One is one of reggae's most renowned record labels and recording studios, having been described as "the Motown of Jamaica."

[edit] History

The label and recording studio were founded by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in 1954 on Brentford Road in Kingston. Dodd had previously issued music on a series of other labels, including World Disc, and had run Downbeat, one of the largest and most reputable sound systems in the Kingston ghettos.

Studio One has recorded and released music by (and had a large hand in shaping the careers of) such artists as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Burning Spear, Toots & the Maytals, John Holt, Horace Andy, Ken Boothe, and Alton Ellis. Noted rival Prince Buster began his career working for Dodd's sound system, and the record producer Harry J recorded many of his best-known releases at Studio One.

Studio One had a hand in most of the major movements in Jamaican music during the 1960s and 1970s, including ska, rocksteady — although Duke Reid's rocksteady output at his own Treasure Isle label overshadowed Dodd's — reggae, dub and dancehall. The Skatalites and The Sound Dimension were among several prominent musical ensembles to record backing tracks and instrumentals at Studio One.