Trojan Records
Encyclopedia
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
. The truck had "Duke Reid - The Trojan King of Sounds" painted on the sides, and the music played by Reid became known as the Trojan Sound.
by Lee Gopthal, who had previously run a record store called Musicland, and before that collaborated with Chris Blackwell
of Island Records
on mail order
sales. By 1970, Trojan Records artists who were successful in the pop music
charts included: Lee Perry's Upsetters, Bob
& Marcia
, The Cimarons
, Desmond Dekker
, Bruce Ruffin
, Nicky Thomas
and Dave and Ansell Collins
. Trojan's main function was not to develop new artists, but to serve as a sister label for Island Records
. Monetary success came from releasing Jamaican music
supplied by producers such as Duke Reid
, Byron Lee
and Leslie Kong
, in a series of popular, budget-priced compilations such as Tighten Up, Club Reggae and Reggae Chartbusters. The music became especially popular in British youth subcultures, such as the mods, skinhead
s and suedeheads.
In 1971, Island Records pulled out of its partnership with Trojan Records. Around the same time, there was a declining interest in Jamaican music among British youths, who ventured towards other genres when Rastafarian
lyrics
and slower tempos entered the music. In 1974, Trojan had made attempts to anglicize the reggae on the label, by re-mastering
and overdubbing
string arrangements over the original Jamaican recordings. They also brought in more British reggae artists, such as Symarip
and Greyhound
. However, the company was still out of step with the British reggae fanbase; largely missing out on the Rasta and the lovers rock
phases of reggae, which could have brought more commercial success. In 1974 (finalized in 1975), Trojan was bought by the Saga company, which focused on releasing budget LPs
.
In 1985, Colin Newman bought Trojan Records from Marcel Rodd, the CEO of Saga. By the late 1980s, Trojan was unearthing and compiling many ska, rocksteady and reggae recordings and re-issuing them for the first time in 25 years. They contributed some reggae classics to be remixed for TV commercials for TDK
, Adidas
and the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship
. They also started the popular Trojan Box Set series
, which usually feature 50 songs on a 3-CD (or vinyl record) set in a simple cardboard package. In 2001, the Sanctuary Records
Group purchased Trojan Records. The deal gave the label leverage to buy music rights controlled by other vintage reggae labels, secure worldwide distribution, and enact slicker marketing campaigns. In June 2007, Universal Music Group
bought Sanctuary Records (ironically, Universal Music, by that point, had also become the parent of Island Records).
s, influenced by traditional 1960s skinhead
culture, are named after Trojan Records, to stress the influence of black
Jamaican music
and the rude boy
style to the skinhead subculture
. This designation emphasizes differences from the punk rock
-influenced Oi!
skinheads of the 1980s, and (especially) the white power skinheads. The logo
of Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice
(SHARP) is based on the Trojan Records logo, although the helmet is reversed to face the opposite direction.
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...
record label
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,...
founded in 1968
1968 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
. It specialises in 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...
, 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...
, 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...
and dub music
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck
Trojan (automobile)
Trojan was a British automobile manufacturer. Cars with the Trojan marque were made from 1914 and 1974.-Early history:The company was founded by Leslie Hayward Hounsfield who went into business as a general engineer in a small workshop called the Polygon Engineering Works in Clapham, South London...
that was used as Duke Reid
Duke Reid
Treasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
's sound system in 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...
. The truck had "Duke Reid - The Trojan King of Sounds" painted on the sides, and the music played by Reid became known as the Trojan Sound.
History
Trojan Records was founded in 19681968 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
by Lee Gopthal, who had previously run a record store called Musicland, and before that collaborated with 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...
of 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...
on mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
sales. By 1970, Trojan Records artists who were successful in the pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
charts included: Lee Perry's Upsetters, Bob
Bob Andy
Bob Andy is a Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter. He is widely regarded as one of reggae's most influential songwriters.-Career:...
& Marcia
Marcia Griffiths
Marcia Llyneth Griffiths is a successful female singer, also called the "Queen of Reggae". One reviewer described her noting "she is known primarily for her strong, smooth-as-mousse love songs and captivating live performances".Griffiths started her career in 1964...
, The Cimarons
The Cimarons
The Cimarons were a UK reggae band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band.-History:Jamaican natives, the Cimarons migrated to Britain in 1967 with a lineup consisting of Franklyn Dunn , Carl Levy , Locksley Gichie , and Maurice Ellis ; vocalist, Winston Reid...
, 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"...
, Bruce Ruffin
Bruce Ruffin
Bruce Ruffin is a rocksteady and reggae artist.-Biography:...
, Nicky Thomas
Nicky Thomas
Nicky Thomas was a reggae singer who enjoyed considerable chart success in the 1970s.-Biography:...
and Dave and Ansell Collins
Dave and Ansell Collins
Dave and Ansell Collins were a Jamaican vocal/instrumental duo .-History:...
. Trojan's main function was not to develop new artists, but to serve as a sister label for 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...
. Monetary success came from releasing Jamaican music
Music of Jamaica
The music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion and related styles. Jamaica's music culture is a fusion of elements from the United States , Africa, and neighboring Caribbean islands such as...
supplied by producers such as Duke Reid
Duke Reid
Treasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
, Byron Lee
Byron Lee
Byron Lee OD, OJ was a musician, record producer, and entrepreneur, best known for his work as leader of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.-Biography:Lee was born in Christiana in Manchester Parish to an Afro-Jamaican mother and a Chinese father Byron Lee OD, OJ (born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee, 27...
and 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...
, in a series of popular, budget-priced compilations such as Tighten Up, Club Reggae and Reggae Chartbusters. The music became especially popular in British youth subcultures, such as the mods, skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s and suedeheads.
In 1971, Island Records pulled out of its partnership with Trojan Records. Around the same time, there was a declining interest in Jamaican music among British youths, who ventured towards other genres when Rastafarian
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and slower tempos entered the music. In 1974, Trojan had made attempts to anglicize the reggae on the label, by re-mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
and overdubbing
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
string arrangements over the original Jamaican recordings. They also brought in more British reggae artists, such as Symarip
Symarip
Symarip were a ska and reggae band from the United Kingdom, originating in the late 1960s, when Frank Pitter and Michael Thomas founded the band as The Bees. The band's name was originally spelled Simaryp, which is an approximate reversal of the word 'pyramids'...
and Greyhound
Greyhound (band)
Greyhound was a reggae band from the United Kingdom.Greyhound began as The Rudies in the late 1960s, with core members Danny Smith and Freddie Notes. They also released material as The Tilermen and Des All Stars. Under the name The Rudies, they issued a cover of "Patches" by Clarence Carter and...
. However, the company was still out of step with the British reggae fanbase; largely missing out on the Rasta and the lovers rock
Lovers rock
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid 1970s.-History:...
phases of reggae, which could have brought more commercial success. In 1974 (finalized in 1975), Trojan was bought by the Saga company, which focused on releasing budget LPs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
.
In 1985, Colin Newman bought Trojan Records from Marcel Rodd, the CEO of Saga. By the late 1980s, Trojan was unearthing and compiling many ska, rocksteady and reggae recordings and re-issuing them for the first time in 25 years. They contributed some reggae classics to be remixed for TV commercials for TDK
TDK
, formerly , is a Japanese company which manufactures electronic materials, electronic components, and recording and data-storage media, and markets them globally. Their motto is "Contribute to culture and industry through creativity"...
, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship
2000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....
. They also started the popular Trojan Box Set series
Trojan Box Set series
The Trojan Box Set series is a range of various artist triple CD box sets, periodically released by the British reggae record label Trojan Records since 1998. The series covers a wide variety of reggae subgenres, styles and themes....
, which usually feature 50 songs on a 3-CD (or vinyl record) set in a simple cardboard package. In 2001, the Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
Group purchased Trojan Records. The deal gave the label leverage to buy music rights controlled by other vintage reggae labels, secure worldwide distribution, and enact slicker marketing campaigns. In June 2007, Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
bought Sanctuary Records (ironically, Universal Music, by that point, had also become the parent of Island Records).
Influence on skinheads
Trojan skinheadTrojan skinhead
Trojan skinheads are individuals who identify with the original British skinhead subculture of the late 1960s, when ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul music were popular, and there was a heavy emphasis on mod-influenced clothing styles...
s, influenced by traditional 1960s skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
culture, are named after Trojan Records, to stress the influence of black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
Jamaican music
Music of Jamaica
The music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion and related styles. Jamaica's music culture is a fusion of elements from the United States , Africa, and neighboring Caribbean islands such as...
and the rude boy
Rude boy
Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi or rudy are common terms used in Jamaica. In the 1960s it was also used for juvenile delinquents and criminals in Jamaica, and has since been used in other contexts...
style to the skinhead subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
. This designation emphasizes differences from the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-influenced Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
skinheads of the 1980s, and (especially) the white power skinheads. The logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
of Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice
Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice
Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice are anti-racist skinheads who oppose neo-Nazis and other political racists, particularly if those racists identify themselves as skinheads....
(SHARP) is based on the Trojan Records logo, although the helmet is reversed to face the opposite direction.
Sub-labels
- AmalgamatedJoe Gibbs (record producer)Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
- Attack
- Big
- Big Shot
- Blue Cat
- Bread
- ClandiscClancy EcclesClancy Eccles was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, songwriter, arranger, promoter, record producer and talent scout. Known mostly for his early reggae works, he brought a political dimension to this music...
- Down Town
- DukeDuke ReidTreasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
- Dynamic
- Explosion
- GayfeetSonia PottingerSonia Eloise Pottinger OD was a Jamaican reggae record producer.The most important Jamaican woman involved in music business, Sonia Pottinger was the first female Jamaican record producer and produced artists from the mid 1960s until the mid 1980s.Married to music producer Lyndon Pottinger, she...
- GGAlvin RanglinAlvin 'GG' Ranglin is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.-Biography:Ranglin started to sing in public in his teens with an Adventist Church background. As a radio and television technician involved in the jukebox industry, he soon acquired his own sound system he named "GG"...
- Green Door
- Harry J
- High NoteSonia PottingerSonia Eloise Pottinger OD was a Jamaican reggae record producer.The most important Jamaican woman involved in music business, Sonia Pottinger was the first female Jamaican record producer and produced artists from the mid 1960s until the mid 1980s.Married to music producer Lyndon Pottinger, she...
- Horse
- Hot Rod
- Jackpot
- Joe
- MoodiscHarry MudieHarry A. Mudie is a Jamaican record producer.-Biography:Harry Mudie attended the St Jago High School. In the mid fifties, he launched his own sound system "Mudies Hi-Fi", before going to the UK to study electronics and photography.Back in Jamaica in the late 1950s, Mudie began producing, mainly...
- Pressure Beat
- Randy's
- Smash
- Song Bird
- Summit
- Techniques
- Treasure IsleDuke ReidTreasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
- Upsetter
Further reading
- Michael de KoninghMichael de KoninghMichael de Koningh is a contemporary British music journalist specialising in Jamaican music, reggae afrobeat and afrofunk.He writes books, articles and reviews in UK musical magazines and also linernotes for reggae albums, sometimes under the name of Door Peeper.He also...
& Laurence Cane-HoneysettLaurence Cane-HoneysettLaurence Cane-Honeysett is a British musician, producer and music journalist specialising in Jamaican music.He started writing for 'Record Collector' as the magazine's Jamaican music consultant in 1990 and joined Trojan Records soon after...
: Young, Gifted And Black, The Story Of Trojan Records, 2003, Sanctuary Publishing, UK, ISBN 1-86074-464-8. - Neville Staple (2009) Original Rude BoyOriginal Rude BoyOriginal Rude Boy is the autobiography of Neville Staple, vocalist in ska band The Specials. The book was launched in May, 2009 to coincide with the reunion tour of The Specials. It sets out to chart the black British influence on the second wave of ska which originated in Coventry in the late...
, Aurum PressAurum PressAurum Press is an independent English publishing house located in London. It was founded in 1976. Aurum concentrates on non-fiction titles and publishes approximately 75 new books every year. One of its titles in 2009 will be the biography of Neville Staple, vocalist in The Specials, Fun Boy...
. ISBN 978-1-84513-480-8