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Duke Reid | |
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| Born | Arthur Reid (1915-07-21)21 July 1915 Portland, Jamaica |
| Died | 1 January 1975(1975-01-01) (aged 59) |
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| Years active | 1953–1975 |
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Arthur "Duke" ReidCD (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaicanrecord producer,DJ andrecord label owner.
He ran one of the most popularsound systems of the 1950s calledReid's Sound System, whilst Duke himself was known asThe Trojan, possibly named after the British-made trucks used to transport the equipment. In the 1960s, Reid founded the record label Treasure Isle (named after his liquor store), which producedska androcksteady music.[1] He was still active in the early 1970s, working withtoasterU-Roy. He died in early 1975 after having suffered from a severe illness for the last year.
Reid was born inPortland, Jamaica. After serving ten years as a Jamaicanpolice officer, Reid left the force to help his wife Lucille run the family business, The Treasure Isle Grocery and Liquor Store at 33 Bond Street inKingston.[2]
He made his way into themusic industry first as asound system (outdoor mobile discothèque) owner, promoter and disc jockey in 1953.[2] He quickly overtookTom the Great Sebastian as the most popular sound system in Kingston.[3] Soon he was also sponsor and presenter of a radio show, Treasure Isle Time.[4] A jazz and blues man at heart, Reid chose "My Mother's Eyes" byTab Smith as histheme tune.[4] Other favourites of his includedFats Domino, a noticeable influence on the early Reid sound.
He began producing recordings in the late 1950s.[2] Early Reid productions were recorded in studios owned by others, but when the family business moved from Pink Lane,Kingston to Bond Street, Reid set up his own studio above the store. He became proprietor of a number of labels, chiefly Treasure Isle and Dutchess (his spelling).[2] Much of his income derived from licensing agreements with companies in theUK, some of which set up specialist Duke Reid labels. He was known to carry his pistols and rifle with him in the studio and would sometimes fire them to celebrate a successful audition.[2]
He dominated the Jamaican music scene of the 1960s, specialising inska androcksteady,[4] though his love of Americanjazz,blues andsoul was evident. Reid had several things going for him that helped him to rise to prominence. He made a concerted effort to be in the studio as much as possible, something his counterparts did not do. He was known as a perfectionist and had a knack for adding symphonic sounds to his recordings and producing dense arrangements. Furthermore, his records were considerably longer than those being produced by his rivals. His tunes often broke the four-minute barrier, while most ska songs were barely longer than two minutes. The material that Treasure Island issued exemplified the cool and elegant feel of the rocksteady era.[1] In an interview for Kool 97 FM, Jackie Jackson along withPaul Douglas and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan were asked about the many recordings they did together as the rhythm section for Treasure Isle Records, and working withSonia Pottinger and Duke Reid.[5]
Duke Reid made an impact with his presence attoasting battles, trying to out play other DJs. He was dressed in a long ermine cloak and a gilt crown on his head, with a pair of Colt 45s in cowboy holsters, a cartridge belt strapped across his chest and a loaded shotgun over his shoulder. It was not uncommon for things to get out of hand and it was said that Duke Reid would bring the crowd under control by firing his shotgun in the air.[6]
Reid initially disliked ska for being too simple and having too much focus on drums rather than on guitar. However, he eventually got behind ska and produced numerous hits.[2] Reid's ska productions in the 1960s "epitomized the absolute peak of the style", according to music historianColin Larkin.[7] He had a long string of hits with performers likeStranger Cole,the Techniques,Justin Hinds and the Dominoes,Alton Ellis and the Flames,the Paragons,the Jamaicans, andthe Melodians.[7]
Reid held a fierce, mutual professionalrivalry withCoxsone Dodd starting in the late 1950s and through the 1960s.[4] Reid's Trojan and Coxsone's Downbeat were the top two sound systems in Jamaica when active, and the competition extended to their Treasure Isle andStudio One labels, respectively.[8][9] According to singerBrent Dowe ofThe Melodians, "When they were playing records, they were playing against each other... If you were singing for one, you couldn't go and sing for the other, or if you did you couldn't go back to the first one for a long time."[8]
By the 1970s, Reid's poor health and the trend towardsRastafarian influenced roots reggae, noticeably reducing the number of releases from Treasure Isle. Reid forbade Rasta lyrics from being recorded in his studio and thusCoxsone Dodd was able to dominate the Jamaican recording industry.[4] Reid maintained his high-profile largely by recording the "toasting" ofDJsU-Roy[4] andDennis Alcapone as well as vaguely Rasta-influenced oddities such asCynthia Richards' "Aily-I".
At around this time, Reid protégé Justin Hinds noticed his boss appeared unwell and recommended a doctor. Cancer was diagnosed and Reid decided to sell Treasure Isle toSonia Pottinger, widow of his friend Lenford "Lennie the King" Pottinger and already owner of High Note Records, which was one of the largest record labels on the Island. He remained involved for a while acting as a Magistrate but died in 1975.[4]
Reid was posthumously awarded theOrder of Distinction in the rank of Commander on 15 October 2007.[10]
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