34 THE BEAT VOL. 23 #6, 2004

Chris Wilson grew up inJamaica during the ska androcksteady eras listening to thetop sounds of producers likeDuke Reid and Clement“Coxson” Dodd. He startedworking for Heartbeat Recordsin the early ’80s and was instru-mental in developing the rela-tionship between Studio Oneand Heartbeat. Since then thecompany has released 60Studio One titles including best-sellers like the Skatalites’Foundation Ska and theWailers’ One Love set. InNovember Heartbeat willrelease a compilation ofBurning Spear Studio One sidesnamed Creation Rebel whichexplores some of the greatestroots reggae recorded inJamaica.

Roger Steffens: Chris, you were raised inJamaica in the ’60s. How did you firstbecome aware of Coxson?Chris Wilson: There was a man whoworked in the yard for us and he wouldalways get dressed up for the weekend andwe always used to make fun of him. I kind ofasked him why was he getting so dressedup, and his answer was to bring me a pile ofrecords. Those were my introduction toJamaican music. I was too young to under-stand the difference between Duke Reidand Coxson and the other producers. But Iwasn’t too young to know that this musicwas what I wanted to hear. And my parentsalso knew the Khouris and George Benson,and I went to school with Stanley Motta’ssons. Their father had the earliest recordingstudio in Jamaica and released calypsorecords. So I knew there was somethinghappening on the island. Independenceand music. The first artist that I really likedwas Eric “Monty” Morris. Just trying to findhis records made me aware of the differentproducers like Coxson and Duke Reid.

I first met Coxson in December 1969. Iwent by Brentford Road after school look-ing for “Hello Carol” by the Gladiatorswhich I’d heard at an uptown dance. Ifound out the name of the group and that itwas on Studio One. I first went to othershops like Randy’s and KG’s, but it was outof stock, so I was forced to go to StudioOne. When I went there they called Mr.Dodd to come out and meet me. I don’tknow why. He was amused at seeing me. I

DOWNBEAT AND HEARTBEATCOXSON DODD’S AMERICANPROTÉGÉ CHRIS WILSONFORWARDS THE LEGACY

Interview by Roger Steffens

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THE BEAT VOL. 23 #6, 2004 35

had my St. George’s uniform on, and I’m surethey’d never seen a white guy in there before.He wanted to know how I had learned aboutthe song and where I had heard it. I also toldhim that “Baby Why” by the Cables was my“theme song,” and that anytime me and myfriends heard it at a dance, we just had to geton the floor. I had also been following Englishmusic and groups like the Beatles, so I under-stood about producers like George Martin. ButI hadn’t really put it in a Jamaican context upuntil that point. But when I met Mr. Dodd I real-ized that here was a guy who basically con-trolled the music which I was a follower of, andthere was something in his presence as a per-son that made him important. And maybe justthat revelation changed the way I viewedJamaican music. After that I was even more ofa Studio One fan, and would always kind ofkeep in mind where he was as a person. I knewhe had moved to Brooklyn for example.

Mr. Dodd and I started working together in1981, but the first record that we did together,which was Best of Studio One, Vol. One, did-n’t come out until 1983. He hadn’t worked withanybody else for quite a few years, and I think ittook him some time for him to fully feel com-fortable doing business with anyone. He haddone a few records prior to that with Buddhaand a few with Bamboo in England, and he hadhad really bad experience with the Wailersmaterial that came out on Calla Records andbecame the The Birth of A Legend set, that hehad no real involvement in. Nate McCalla hadcome to Jamaica to lease American product,and that’s how they had met. And when hefound out that Mr. Dodd had the originalWailers material, he made a deal for it and itbecame murky and McCalla ended up dead inthe trunk of a car in Miami. Nate worked forMorris Levy at Roulette, and Mr. Dodd was theforeign licensee for the Roulette material. Q: What was he like personally, especially dur-ing the ’80s?A: During the ’80s, Studio One was just com-ing off a string of hits with Michigan and Smiley,Sugar Minott and Freddie McGregor. But afterthat string of hits ended, Mr. Dodd moved up tothe States, and so things were quiet. But justhim as a person—it was really fun to work withhim, because it wasn’t really work. I could askhim questions about all those many records

that he had put out, things that I collected. Andhe would tell me stories about what it was liketo run dances, and his competition with DukeReid, how Prince Buster was, what was LeePerry like when he worked for him. There wasjust an amazing volume of information that noone ever really heard from him.

And so with my albums, I was trying to beginto explain to other people what Studio One hadmeant to people like me and Jamaica in gener-al. Because Studio One was there from[Jamaican] independence, it was there throughrock steady, it was there through the Manleyyears. It was a soundtrack to so many people’sexperiences in Jamaica. And to see this quiet,very gentle man, with such an incredible repu-tation for ruthlessness, but realizing that hewasn’t that mythic person. He was just a per-son who loved music, and had overcome amaz-ing odds to become the first black music entre-preneur in Jamaica when no one wanted to seea black person succeed in almost any field. Hestarted pressing his own records because ofthe bias of the people who owned the pressingplants. He started his own studio because oneday when he went to the studio to do a session,he found that his session had been given to aChinese producer, even though he had bookedand paid in advance for the time. He realizedthat you had to control your own destiny. Hetook Garvey’s message to heart, and realizedthat no one was going to get anywhere underthe conditions that black producers had to facein Jamaica.

Another thing that I respected in him was hisfriendship with musicians like RolandAlphonso, and how those relationships reallywere not just about music, but had come torepresent an interaction between business andfriendship that really allowed for music toprogress at the time, during the ska era forexample. You take a situation where Mr. Doddrecorded almost 100 tracks with the Wailers,and then you realize that in their entire careerthey never did a hundred songs for anybodyelse, because he was someone who was nevertired of experimenting and trying to develop theartist to achieve greatness when other produc-ers would, if the person didn’t have hits, giveup. There’s artists like Marcia Griffiths and KenBoothe that he spent countless hours develop-

“There’s not one person who likes reggae, who works in the reggae industry,who plays on records, or who produces

records, who doesn’t owe their very existence to Mr. Dodd. He started it.

Before him there was nothing, no labels,no Jamaican music, no Skatalites.”

Continued on page 36

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ing material, trying different things, until they finally enjoyed their first hit.Q: What did you learn about producing from watching him work, and workingside by side with him?A: How he worked as a producer is something that many people havecommented on over the years and there are even people who have dis-counted him as a producer.Nothing ever recorded atStudio One was recorded with-out his express approval. Hisbig concern, with all of hismaterial, was the bass lines andthe horn sections. He wasbrought up listening to the topAmerican bands of the ’40s and’50s, and he had played most ofthe material in his dances inJamaica himself. So he knewhow to judge material in termsof how a crowd was going torespond to it. So when an artistwent into the studio to recordfor Studio One, he had beenauditioned, rehearsed and over-seen by Mr. Dodd. And themusicians knew, and they knewthat Mr. Dodd knew. So theyweren’t going to give him any-thing faulty or weak becausethey respected him and knewthat he was aware of the poten-tial of a song. And that’s whytoday there are so many top Studio One hits being recycled constantly,because these were well seasoned.

I’ve heard him going to the studio and not saying anything if thingswere going well, but I’ve also heard him start saying “Jackson” and peo-ple almost instinctively knew that what they were doing was not meetinghis approval, and they would try something new. And sometimes “Jack-son” meant a lot, because it wasn’t like ordering someone to do some-thing, it was like someone who had a racehorse and knew how to makethe horse run. He didn’t have to punish the musicians to get what hewanted. And you ask any of those musicians—they always respect Mr.Dodd and his knowledge and his charisma.Q: But what about you and him as people? You were in a most enviedposition, not just one of the only white people to ever get close to him,from the outside as it were—you were one of the only people outside ofhis immediate family that he trusted. What did that feel like, how did thatmanifest itself?A: Mr. Dodd gave me my start in the music business. And I will alwaysbe grateful to him for seeing something in me and he knew I was anunabashed fan. And over the years we became friends. And sometimesit was not even about work anymore, or business. Surprisingly, we had alot in common. We are both religious, and we both really like the sametype of things, like recording equipment, American music. Can anyonereally explain friendship? It just seems to happen. We just got along. Imean, people say he’s difficult. I never found that. I just loved his per-sonality and his style. He was one of the most incredible storytellers. Butyou never ever felt like writing it down, because it was always of themoment. To just sit there and write and try to remember everything hesaid, was just defeated the purpose of the story. He didn’t like taperecorders. He didn’t like interviews. But he loved Jamaican music, heloved everything about those dances that he used to hold, the competi-tion, and he had a lot of friends from that period, that were still hisfriends, and they would get together and reminisce. You couldn’t believewhat you were hearing. Like the story about Busby, the badman, whowas killed, and was a big Studio One fan.

I have memories of him working with Alton Ellis, and this was longafter Alton had hits for Studio One. Mr. Dodd always loved Alton. Youcan ask Alton. He was someone who could always move around Mr.Dodd. Anyway, Alton was singing and Mr. Dodd was directing the ses-sion, reasoning and coaxing the performance. It was one of the few

things I bothered to record. Itwas in those sessions that Altondid “Joy in the Morning” whichwe put out. I also rememberwhen I went to do an overdub-bing session at Studio One inNew York for one of the[Everton] Blender songs. Themusicians were there but notthe engineer so Mr. Dodd set upthe session and ran the boarduntil the engineer finally arrived.It was a privilege to have him dothat but he didn’t want us tohave to wait around so he juststayed in. Blender also sang“We No Fear” in the studio inNew York using the same micro-phone that Bob Marley andcountless others had sung on.Studio One is just like that. Purehistory. Q: What was Mr. Dodd’s atti-tude toward Bob Marley inthose later years?A: I remember Mr. Dodd telling

me about running into Bob at the airport in Kingston in the late ’70s, andsaying that even after all those years, there was respect between theboth of them. I think that Mr. Dodd really looked back at the years theWailers were with him with a lot of fondness. Maybe the memory of someof their dealings wasn’t that enjoyable. But the music certainly was. Andfunnily enough, I don’t think that the Wailers left Studio One under acloud of antagonism. I think that just like many other people, they moved

on. The Wailers themselves as a group had had a hard time adjusting torock steady, and weren’t having the hits they enjoyed while at StudioOne. In any musical form, generally that means a change, but Mr. Doddknew how great they were, because he was the first to see it in them.And when they came to Studio One and he heard them, they becamepart of his dreams, as much as they were part of their own dreams, andboth as dreamers, they achieved greatness.

At first, Mr. Dodd felt that Junior Braithwaite was the better singer,because he had gotten some of those early, good songs out of Junior.

36 THE BEAT VOL. 23 #6, 2004

“[Coxson was] this quiet, very gentle man, with such an incrediblereputation for ruthlessness, but ...he wasn’t that mythic person. He

was just a person who loved music,and had overcome amazing odds to

become the first black music entrepreneur in Jamaica when noone wanted to see a black person

succeed in almost any field.”

DOWNBEAT AND HEARTBEAT continued from page 35

“Mr. Dodd gave me my start in the music business. And I will alwaysbe grateful to him for seeing something in me and he knew I was anunabashed fan. And over the years we became friends.”

—Chris Wilson, pictured with Dodd and Mrs. Darlington, Dodd’smother, at Studio One’s 35th anniversary party in 1991.

Continued on page 59

PH

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THE BEAT VOL. 23 #6, 2004 59

noches calientesContinued from page 43and percussion backed by a large complement ofchorus voices. “Misa/Palo” is unique for itsarrangement of Congolese-derived folklore andits inclusion of a 12-stringed semi-hollow-bodyguitar (liner notes meticulously document thewidely varied instrumentation on all tracks).“Quise Hacer un Recorrido” is a columbia rumbafeaturing the voice of Juan de Dios RamosMorejón and Jesus Diáz on the quinto conga.Extensive liner notes explain the significance andhistory of each tune and its musical form makingthis a must-hear for any and all who wish to learnAfro-Cuban folklore. Check it out at www.johnsantos.com .

Chanson Flamenca (Sunnyside) is an ambi-tious flamenco homage to the classic French songform the chanson. It immediately dives into acante jondo (deep flamenco) stomp with the force-ful voice of Ramon El Portugués interpretingBecaud’s “Et Maintenant.” His emotional voicesoars to marching percussion, brooding guitar,castanets, piano and elegiac strings. Superb ar-rangements that graft the harder, raw edge of fla-menco to the romantic, smooth burlesque of thechanson are mostly successful on this varied re-cording. Among the best cuts are a version ofGeorge Moustaki’s “Le Méteque” by Guardiana,retitled “El Extranjero” and the rousing versionof Gainsbourg’s “Couleur Café.” “Color Café” issung with gusto by the raspy voiced Yeyé de Cadízbacked by an erotic female chorus and “olé” cat-calls, handclaps and rapid fire, percussive fla-menco guitar. While there is enough musical sub-stance and creativity to make this worthwhile byitself, what I would love to see is a concert by allthese talented musicians and arrangers that wouldlet them stretch out even more.

From south of the equator, the prolific compil-ers at World Music Network bring us another en-lightening musical introduction, this time in theform of the Rough Guide to Tango Nuevo. Acous-tic, raw and demanding a serious degree of musi-cianship, tango has earned its mystique as a darkand brooding force that requires one to lay bareone’s soul. The 19 tracks here explore the cornersand edges of the tango movement that stetchesinto jazz, folk, classical, rock and avant-gardemusic. From the quirky trio La Chicana to theprodigy diva Sandra Luna and various quintets,quartets and trios, the tango has as many forms asit has practitioners. “Balada Para un Loco” byRoberto Goyeneche with Adriana Varela soundslike a bohemian poet ranting as his stern lovermasks her weariness in a melodious voice thatcounterbalances the madness. Patricia Andradegives us a tango centered on the heavy bass droneof a piano thumping like an industrial tango for

proximity to the African continent, with its du-eling guitars and talking drums echoing a 6/8rhythm grafted off a King Sunny Ade classic. Abig surprise is hidden in the album’s final cut“Tabanka Assigo” where her voice soars anthem-like one last time. Of course you will find a mornaor two here…what good Cape Verdean mixwould be without it? [www.lusafrica.com ]

Downbeat and heartbeatContinued from page 36But he realized that Junior didn’t have the fire andthat Bob would work extra hard to find somethingto give him that was recordable. So at first glance,he didn’t recognize Bob, but by the time Bob left,he knew Bob was a great singer, and he wantedBob to be even greater, and that’s why they did somany different styles of music at Studio One. Hefelt there was no better way to create a great singerthan to explore all the different styles of musicand create a very versatile singer. He didn’t feelthat way about Bunny or Peter, and only reallynoticed them in some ways after Bob had movedto the States. That’s when he started to focus moreon both Bunny and Peter, and got some greatmaterial from them. But at first they were in Bob’sshadows, which in some ways is where a lot ofpeople have always put them. But they did greatsongs at Studio One as well.Q: What is his legacy?A: When Mr. Dodd passed away, it was hard toenvision Jamaica and its music without him. Hispersonality was so overpowering and so manypeople in the business modeled themselves on himeven while in competition with him, that not tohave him there seems an aberration. There’s notone person who likes reggae, who works in thereggae industry, who plays on records, or whoproduces records, who doesn’t owe their veryexistence to Mr. Dodd. He started it. Before himthere was nothing, no labels, no Jamaican music,no Skatalites—I mean, there is no comparisonanywhere in the world with Mr. Dodd.Q: Would Berry Gordy of Motown be an aptcomparison?A: Berry Gordy took existing business modelsand created one where he achieved greatness.There were other great producers, recordcompany owners, record labels, already inexistence before Berry Gordy. And there weremany big-selling records before Berry Gordy.Before Coxson in Jamaica, there was nothing. Iremember Mr. Dodd telling me, no one evenknew how much money to pay somebody for asession, because no one had ever been paid beforefor a session. Bands were playing on thebandstand, but never in the studio, unless youdid calypso. He just took his love for music andforged ahead. He didn’t know what he was reallydoing, but he followed his instincts even thoughhe was surrounded by people who didn’t want tosee him succeed, and he forged a legacy whichis destined to never be equaled again.

I myself can’t imagine never talking to himagain, or never seeing him again. How often canyou have a relationship with someone whosemusic changed your life, especially when you

were a child? I grew up with Studio One and asa man I worked with Mr. Dodd. I respected hisrelationship with his wife Norma, and his kids.There was so much to like and respect in himthat on a personal level his passing is a great loss.It was an honor and a blessing to have knownhim. !

african beatContinued from page 47is picked up a little (as on “Yvon”) it is withconsummate good taste: the guitars are still fluidand the vocals remain musically sweet andcontrolled. There’s even a bit of an ‘80s zouk/soukous feel on some tracks: “Koumbe Koumbe”benefits from an Antillean-styled female chorusand a zouk keyboard (one of the guest musiciansis Antillean keyboard player Ronald Rubinel). Inaddition to that there is cocktail cha-cha-cha, softhip-hop, and even a great example of Congolesegospel that closes the album. Rumbalolango isextremely accessible and commercial but it is farfrom being a lightweight and watered-downalbum. Luciana and Ballou Canta are largelyignored these days by the fickle Congoleserecord-buying public, but they are still two finesingers whose voices work very well together.Given some good distribution and a bit ofpublicity this album could be an international“world music” success—and it thoroughlydeserves to be.

Contact Martin Sinnock at martin.sinnock@sandersonweatherall.com or mhs@weatherallsnorth.co.uk or write to P.O. Box 406, CroydonCR9 1XR, England.

Check out the www.africasounds.com Web sitewhere Martin Sinnock’s extended articles can befound, and www.TotallyRadio.com to hear hisInternet radio broadcasts on The Ashanti Show“Viva la Musica” and The Rough Guide show.

an avant-garde dance performance. Drums enterthe mix in a vaguely Afro-Cuban mode adding aspark to the Sonia Possetti Quinteto. And to addfurther confusion and elation we have the Django-tango of Juanjo Domínguez who sounds like he’schanneling Django Reinhardt himself with cas-cading guitar riffs. A deep exploration of a heavymusical terrain, this collection is superb and aswould be appropriate to its subject matter, a bitdisorienting.

Nu Latin (Manteca) is an excellent collectioncompiled by Mambo Inn founder Gerry Lyseightin London and delivers precisely what its sub-title claims—“Fresh sounds of today’s new Latinmusic.” Exploring the full range of the Latindance world it touches on hip-hop, electronica,salsa, ska, flamenco, Brazilian rhythms, jungle,soul and jazz. In particular are some harder-to-find tracks such as “Babalu” by Ska Cubana, theYoruba BPM remix of Perez Prado’s “Macome,”and “I Will Also Remember You” by OaktownIrawo featuring Omar Sosa. This double cd boasts27 tracks and clocks in at well over two hours.From Africando to Orishas, Susana Baca,Ibrahim Ferrer and Orquesta Broadway, this col-lection includes some well-recognized and re-spected artists alongside remixes and lesser-known artists painting the Latin musical realmin broad strokes with bright colors. As the cdbooklet states boldly, “Latin music is everywhereand mutating as it goes.” And I might add thatwhether you’ve already heard some of the artistshere or none of them it’s worth a listen.!