Beverley's
Encyclopedia
Beverley's was a Jamaican record label
(1961
– 1971
) owned by the Chinese Jamaican
record producer
Leslie Kong
. Beverley's was essential to the development of Ska
and Rocksteady
into Reggae
. The label launched the careers of Jimmy Cliff
and Bob Marley
, having released Jimmy Cliff
's first recording "Dearest Beverley" in 1961 and Bob Marley
s early singles "Judge Not
" and "One Cup of Coffee" in 1962.
was run by the Chinese-Jamaican Kong family, one of whom, Leslie Kong, started the Beverley's record label. Kong launched the label in 1961 after Jimmy Cliff
auditioned the song "Dearest Beverley" at the shop, the first release on the label being Cliff's "Hurricane Hattie", with "Dearest Beverley" on the b-side.. Prior to this, Beverley's was a restaurant and records shop owned by Leslie Kong and his brothers, Fats and Cecil and never had produced records. Kong had no experience of record production but had the finances to employ the cream of Jamaica's musical talent. The association with Cliff continued, including the "Miss Jamaica" single, and Cliff's debut self-titled album.
Throughout the 1960s Beverley's recorded many Jamaican artists including Desmond Dekker
(including many of his biggest hits including "Israelites" and "007"), The Maytals
("Monkey Man"), Derrick Morgan
("Forward March"), and the Pioneers
("Long Shot Kick De Bucket"), and launched the career of Bob Marley
with his first two singles. Marley returned to Beverley's with the Wailers for several more singles including "Soul Shakedown Party". Fellow Wailer Peter Tosh
also recorded solo material for the label.
In 1963, Kong began licensing recordings to Black Swan, a subdivision of friend Chris Blackwell
's Island Records
. Later he licensed recordings to Graeme Goodall's Pyramid and to Trojan Records
by the end of the 60s.
The Beverley's label folded with the death of Leslie Kong in 1971.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
(1961
1961 in music
-Events:*January 15 – Motown Records signs The Supremes.*January 20 – Francis Poulenc's Gloria receives its premiėre in Boston, USA.*February 12 – The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's first million-selling single....
– 1971
1971 in music
-Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music...
) owned by the Chinese Jamaican
Chinese Jamaican
Chinese Jamaicans are the descendants of migrants from China to Jamaica. Early migrants came in the 19th century; there was another wave of migration in the 1980s and 1990s...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong was a Chinese Jamaican record producer.-Career:Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston...
. Beverley's was essential to the development of Ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and Rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
into Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. The label launched the careers of Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, having released Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
's first recording "Dearest Beverley" in 1961 and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
s early singles "Judge Not
Judge Not
"Judge Not" is the first single Bob Marley recorded. It was released in 1961, only in Jamaica on Leslie Kong label Beverley's. With a ska beat, Marley has a youthful voice, as it was his first recorded song. Though "Judge Not" failed to achieve much success, Marley was not discouraged and continued...
" and "One Cup of Coffee" in 1962.
History
The Beverley's ice-cream parlour/record shop at 135 Orange Street in KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
was run by the Chinese-Jamaican Kong family, one of whom, Leslie Kong, started the Beverley's record label. Kong launched the label in 1961 after Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
auditioned the song "Dearest Beverley" at the shop, the first release on the label being Cliff's "Hurricane Hattie", with "Dearest Beverley" on the b-side.. Prior to this, Beverley's was a restaurant and records shop owned by Leslie Kong and his brothers, Fats and Cecil and never had produced records. Kong had no experience of record production but had the finances to employ the cream of Jamaica's musical talent. The association with Cliff continued, including the "Miss Jamaica" single, and Cliff's debut self-titled album.
Throughout the 1960s Beverley's recorded many Jamaican artists including Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"...
(including many of his biggest hits including "Israelites" and "007"), The Maytals
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
("Monkey Man"), Derrick Morgan
Derrick Morgan
Derrick Morgan is a musical artist popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley, and Jimmy Cliff in the rhythm and blues and ska genres, and he also performed rocksteady and skinhead reggae.-Biography:In 1957 Morgan entered the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour, a talent...
("Forward March"), and the Pioneers
The Pioneers (band)
The Pioneers are a Jamaican reggae vocal trio, whose main period of success was in the 1960s. The trio has had different line-ups, and still occasionally performs.-Founding and early years: 1962-1967:...
("Long Shot Kick De Bucket"), and launched the career of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
with his first two singles. Marley returned to Beverley's with the Wailers for several more singles including "Soul Shakedown Party". Fellow Wailer Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
also recorded solo material for the label.
In 1963, Kong began licensing recordings to Black Swan, a subdivision of friend Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
's Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. Later he licensed recordings to Graeme Goodall's Pyramid and to Trojan Records
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
by the end of the 60s.
The Beverley's label folded with the death of Leslie Kong in 1971.