Reggae Dancehall Pioneers: Clement "Coxsone" Dodd | Studio One, The Downbeat Sound & The Blueprint of Jamaican Music

About this episode

This episode explores the life and impact of Clement "Coxsone" Dodd on Jamaican music and the controversies surrounding his recording practices.

He built the most important recording studio in Jamaican music history. He recorded The Wailers, The Skatalites, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, and hundreds of others at 13 Brentford Road — and he owned everything they made. Clement "Coxsone" Dodd is the single most influential figure in the architecture of ska, rocksteady, and roots reggae, and the most controversial. Artists who passed through Studio One received almost no royalties for music that sold internationally for decades. This episode covers the full story: the sound system wars of 1950s Kingston, the founding of Studio One, the Skatalites house band, the Wailers' arrival and departure, Lee Perry's bitter exit, and the catalog that still circulates today. History of the Caribbean — available on all podcast platforms.

People in this episode

Hosts: Joe, Kevin

Topics covered

• Jamaican music history
• Reggae
• Ska
• Rocksteady
• Cultural impact
• Music royalties
• Sound system wars

Keywords

• Clement Dodd
• Studio One
• Jamaican music
• reggae history
• sound system
• music royalties
• The Wailers
• The Skatalites

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Studio One, The Wailers, The Skatalites

Places: Kingston, 13 Brentford Road

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