Blue Beat
Encyclopedia
Blue Beat Records was a record label
that released Jamaica
n 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.
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". 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. The first release on the label was Aitken's "Boogie Rock", which was licenced from Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat label. The distinctive blue label and silver logo first appeared with the label's third release, Higgs
& Wilson's "Manny Oh". 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, 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. 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). Jackson left to work for EMI
, where he founded the Columbia Blue Beat label. 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.
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.
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,...
that released Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and 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...
music in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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.
History
Blue Beat Records was a label of Emile E. Shalit's Melodisc Records company. Melodisc specialised in CalypsoCalypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
and Mento
Mento
Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It has its roots in calypso and other Jamaican folk music. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box — a large mbira in the...
music, and was formed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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
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...
- after the positive response in the UK to (the then UK-based) Laurel Aitken
Laurel Aitken
Lorenzo Aitken , better known as Laurel Aitken, was a singer and one of the originators of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of ska".-Career:...
's Melodisc release of "Lonseome Lover". 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. The first release on the label was Aitken's "Boogie Rock", which was licenced from Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat label. The distinctive blue label and silver logo first appeared with the label's third release, Higgs
Joe Higgs
Joe Higgs was a reggae musician from Jamaica. In the late 1950s and 1960s he was part of the duo Higgs and Wilson together with Roy Wilson...
& Wilson's "Manny Oh". 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, with Prince Buster
Prince Buster
Cecil Bustamente Campbell, O.D. , better known as Prince Buster, and also known by his Muslim name Muhammed Yusef Ali, is a musician from Kingston, Jamaica. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music...
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. Many Blue Beat recordings were played alongside soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
in dance clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. 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
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...
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). Jackson left to work for EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, where he founded the Columbia Blue Beat label. 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.
In 1989, Buster Bloodvessel
Buster Bloodvessel
Douglas Trendle , better known as Buster Bloodvessel, is an English singer and the frontman of the ska revival band Bad Manners...
of the ska revival band Bad Manners
Bad Manners
Bad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
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
The Pyramids
The Pyramids may refer to*Egyptian Pyramids*The Pyramids , a surf rock group from Long Beach, California*The Pyramids , buildings in Indianapolis*The Pyramids, a rock formation at Victory Beach, New Zealand...
. 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.