"Founding Father of Reggae" died on May 4th

[TimmyB]

I found this on "In Brief:" on www.rollingstone.com

CLEMENT S. DODD, the "Founding Father of Reggae" died on May 4th in Jamaica. As owner and producer of the Studio One label, Dodd helped launch the careers of BOB MARLEY, PETER TOSH, BUNNY WAILER and BURNING SPEAR among others.

[Esau]

"Date of Birth (DOB): 1/26/1923

From: Jamaica

Best Known for: Famous Reggae Producer

Bio: Clement Seymour Dodd aka “Sir Coxsone”, along with Duke Reid are both accredited for the growth, development, and worldwide social acceptance of Reggae music. You name the artist, young or old, there’s a good chance that they’ve voiced themselves over one of his rhythm tracks at some point of their recording careers: Bob Marley & The Wailers, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Johnny Osbourne, Leroy Sibbles, Jackie Mittoo, Sugar Minott, Freddie McGregor, Toots & The Maytals, Cornell Campbell, Derrick Morgan, The Skatalites, Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe…..the list really does goes on and on….One cannot have any form of discussion on Reggae music without mentioning Mr. Dodd, who got his moniker from a Yorkshire English cricket player.

At 22, and being a mobile and studio Sound System operator, Coxsone was heavily influenced by the music he heard when he traveled frequently to the United States to buy popular music like Jazz, Big Band music, Soul/Rhythm & Blues. In America he often visited places like New York and Chicago. He frequently visited record stores in Chicago, Harlem, and Brooklyn searching for the latest sounds of bee-bop, boogie-woogie, jazz, soul, merengue, and even Afro-Cuban music. These musical genres inspired him to expand traditional Jamaican music like mento and island folk into a modern Jamaican sound.

During the late 50’s, obtaining popular R & B records was difficult. By owning and operating his own mobile sound system called “Sir Coxsone, The Down Beat”, Dodd was able to construct a “new” Jamaican sound initially made available on dup-plate (1 song with accompanying music recorded exclusively for a producer) and play it to the communities at many functions. This new sound amplified to higher sound levels enabled his listening audience to “feel” the music instead of just listening to it. Dodd’s Sir Coxsone frequently competed in live mobile sound clashes with Duke Reid “The Trojan” playing the more popular hits of the day.

His first label was called Worldisc, and the first records he produced were “Destiny” – Lascelles Perkins, “My Baby” – Jackie Estick, “Lumumba”– Bunny & Skitter, “Time To Pray” – Basil Gabbidon & The Mellow Sharks, “Marjie” – Aubrey Adams & The Dewdroppers, “Easy Snappin” – Theophilius Beckford and “Shufflin’ Jug” – Clue J & His Blues Blasters, in 1955. Coxsone used the experience of band leader Cluet Johnson (who is credited with coining the term “Ska”), Roland Alphonso - Saxaphone, Herman Sands – Piano, Ken Williams – Drums, and famous Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander (another inductee in the Caribbean Hall of Fame). This was the birth of Ska."

http://caribbean.halloffame.tripod.com/Clement_Seymour_Dodd.html

[bradm]

Might be an interesting night for Raggamuffin at Babylon...

Aloha,

Brad

[Esau]

Courtsey of News24.com

"Reggae producer dies

05/05/2004 14:50 - (SA)

Print article email story

Kingston - Legendary music producer Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, an early pioneer of reggae credited with launching the career of Bob Marley, died on Tuesday of an apparent heart attack, friends said. He was 72.

Dodd was pronounced dead at Kingston's Medical Associates Hospital after experiencing chest pains, said close friend and musicologist Bunny Goodison, who was with Dodd hours before he died.

"We were talking about life and music, he was just sitting in his personal chair at the studio," Goodison said.

His death comes four days after he attended a ceremony to rename a street after his famous record label and studio, Studio One, in Kingston.

Born on January 26, 1932, Clement Seymour Dodd started out in the music business in 1950s, operating a popular "sound system", or portable disco, and releasing records on his own label. His early recordings in the 50s and 60s helped launch the birth of ska, a forerunner to reggae.

"It's a massive loss," Goodison said. "If you remove his entire catalogue form the Jamaican scene, a serious vacuum would be created."

In 1963, Dodd opened Studio One, the Caribbean island's first black-owned music studio. Later that year, he was introduced to a scruffy singer named Bob Marley, who auditioned for Dodd with his band, the Wailers.

Impressed, Dodd signed the group to a five-year contract, launching a musical career that would span three decades and take Marley to the heights of international acclaim.

Dodd quickly grew fond of the fatherless Marley, letting him live in a back room at the studio.

At Dodd's encouragement, Marley emerged as the frontman of the group, recording the 1964 hit Simmer Down, an appeal for calm among Kingston's idle slum dwellers, known as "rude boys".

Besides Marley, Dodd is credited with launching the careers of dozens of reggae legends, including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Dennis Brown and Freddie McGregor.

Dodd is survived by a wife and several children. "

http://www.news24.com/News24/Entertainment/Abroad/0,6119,2-1225-1243_1522074,00.html

Edit to add

It appears you cannot access the article through the link,but if you do a google search then hit the news option it takes you to the article.

[kung]

I think Sir Coxsone is not routinely thought of as such a hero of musicians. He's also known to have ripped off and bilked the vast majority of artists signed to him. I think there's even a scene in The Harder They Come that dramatizes a Dodd type character (with the a capella group waiting by the gates for his car to come out and they sing impromptu).