Blue Beat Records was a record label that released Jamaican rhythm and blues and ska music in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. It led to the creation of the term bluebeat as a generic term to describe all styles of early Jamaican music from R&B to Ska, Rocksteady and early Reggae, including music not associated with the record label.
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Blue Beat Records was a label of Emile E. Shalit's Melodisc Records company.[1] Melodisc specialised in Calypso and Mento music, and was formed in London, England in 1947, with strong ties to the West Indies. Shalit founded Blue Beat in 1960 as a label which focused on U.S inspired Jamaican Blues and R&B recordings which would later evolve into ska- after the positive response in the UK to (the then UK-based) Laurel Aitken's Melodisc release of "Lonseome Lover".[1] He placed Sigimund "Siggy" Jackson in charge of the label, with Jackson choosing the name Blue Beat, which according to Siggy was an adaptation of "It sounds like blues and it's got a great beat" - or Blues Beat, at the time apparently a generic term for Jamaican blues music.[1] The first release on the label was Aitken's "Boogie Rock", which was licenced from Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat label.[1] The distinctive blue label and silver logo first appeared with the label's third release, Higgs & Wilson's "Manny Oh".[1] The label reached licencing agreements with the majority of the major Jamaican producers as well as releasing many home produced productions from Siggy Jackson featuring English based artists such as The Marvels. Even some Prince Buster hits like "Wash-Wash" were recorded in London, and included well known UK musicians such as Georgie Fame. The Blue Beat label released around 400 singles and over a dozen albums between 1960 and 1967,[1][2] with Prince Buster becoming the label's biggest star with songs such as "Al Capone". Jackson established a Blue Beat night at The Marquee in London, and fashion accessories featuring the label's logo also became popular.[1] Many Blue Beat recordings were played alongside soul music in dance clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester. As well as appealing greatly to the West Indian community the music also became associated with the mod youth culture of the 1960s and later in the decade it became retrospectively popular amongst a later evolution of the mod sub-culture who followed reggae music and associated with the West Indian 'rude boys' who became known as skinheads - originally a multi-racial youth culture based around music and fashion. In the late 60's and early 70's Blue Beat records became highly collectible and much sought after rarities among these youths who regarded records like Buster's Al Capone as classics.
When the ska rhythm slowed to rocksteady in 1966, Melodisc decided that a new label was needed, and started the FAB label, with no new releases on Blue Beat after 1967 (although the back catalogue continued to sell for several years).[1] Jackson left to work for EMI, where he founded the Columbia Blue Beat label.[1] The Blue Beat label was revived in 1972 for a short run of now largely obscure releases which include John Holt's "Ok Fred" and "Sad News" singles.[1]
In 1989, Buster Bloodvessel of the ska revival band Bad Manners started a brand new record label called Blue Beat Records and licensed the name and logo. Between 1989 and 1990, he released several records on that label, including the Bad Manners album Return of The Ugly. The Bad Manners single "Skaville UK" was the last Blue Beat single to make an impact on the UK charts, reaching #87 in 1989.
In 2004, Jackson was approached by band leader Marcus Downbeat with the intention of starting a Blue Beat revival. They released a series of 7-inch singles in the style of the original 1960s output of the imprint. These releases included six singles by Marcus' band No.1 Station which featured Blue Beat veteran Eddie 'Tan-Tan' Thornton on Trumpet and several guest vocalists including long-time Blue Beat artists The Marvels. Jackson also re-issued several tracks from his own back catalogue, as well as one single each from ska revival band Intensified and Blue Beat veterans The Pyramids. These records were all limited edition vinyl pressings. Siggy Jackson retired from the record industry soon afterwards stating "I decided a while ago to get out of London and the whole music business....I haven't got time for it any more."
In 2011 Marcus Downbeat officially acquired Blue Beat Records to continue with his aim of creating a Blue Beat revival. Marcus says "It has always been my dream to create a Blue Beat revival and return to the earlier simplicity of the Jamaican dance groove. Ever since the 2-Tone led 'Ska' revival of the 1980's I have sought to differentiate the original Mento/R&B/Jazz influenced JA/UK sounds of Ska, Rocksteady and early Reggae from the later hybrid 'new wave' forms of Ska that leaned more towards punk rock. It was my ambition to re-invent the sound which was commonly known as Blue Beat in Britain during the 1960's, and with the help of Siggy Jackson I was able to start that process by reviving the original label that gave the music its name and establish 'Blue Beat' as the generic term to describe new music played in the traditional styles". More Blue Beat is yet to come.
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