One of Jamaica’s most prolific and influential producers, Bunny Lee is well placed to takes us through the history of Jamaican music, from the early days of Tom the Great Sebastian, to the Vere Johns talent show, and the emergence of ska. He recalls his days as a radio plugger in the “dodgy business” of music and his peak producing years between 1969 and 1975, when he had a series of hits with the likes of Slim Smith and Delroy Wilson. Along the way are fascinating comments on such seminal figures as Leslie Kong, King Tubby, and U Roy. And then things get really interesting, as he explains to Steve Barrow and Don Letts how Derrick Morgan gave Bob Marley his break, the significance of Big Youth’s dreadlocks, his “Dreadlocks Dread”, and the “John Crow Skank”. All this is followed by an extended, extraordinary diatribe about how Byron Lee “tried to kill reggae”.
Bass, Beats, Riddims and Dubs
