Top Class Sound Engineers & Record Producers
Ansel Collins, produced four songs; the first Night Doctor was the first recording for a young drummer named Sly Dunbar. Another of the four recordings was a track named Double Barrel, which was an instrumental, the vocal of Dave barker was added. which then became an instant hit in Europe & the USA, folloed by Monkey Spanner.
He co-produced some of Jimmy Cliffs Columbia Records albums including the gold-selling Special.
In the '70s, Collins went to the famous Channel One Studio on Maxfield Avenue. There, he resumed his work as one of Jamaica�s top keyboard session men. As part of The Revolutionaries, which included Sly Dunbar, Herman Marquis, Robbie Shakespeare, Ranchie McLean and Headley �Deadly� Bennett, he played on all the major hits at Channel One for the label�s emerging acts which included The Mighty Diamonds, Leroy Smart, Wailing Soul, Earth an Soul, The Jays and Ranking Trevor.
Collins still works out with Sly and Robbie and has contributed his talents to several Taxi Gang projects, including Mambo Taxi and La Trenggae
Al Campbell, an established reggae artist who has several hits includes
�Late Night Blues� (a dance hall anthem) has produced many reggae vertans, including the late Dennis Brown, the late Prince Lincoln & the Royal Rasses and several other reggae artists
Berty Grant, has engineered & produced many of the UK leading reggae artists during the lover�s Rock era including many of Carroll Thompson�s (the queen of lovers rock) classic hits. He produced Nine Yards, a young black soul trio from London based in Sweden, who as a result were signed to Virgin Records. He started working as a sound engineered in the recording studio and on tour with UB40 (Europe no 1 reggae act) from their first single and worked on all of the UB40�s hits.
Clancy Eccles, one of the most loved and respected personalities in the history of Jamaican music, Clancy Eccles started making records for Coxsone Dodd in 1959, recording "Freedom", initially as an acetate that was featured on Dodd's sound system for nearly two years before its official release in 1961. For the same producer he also recorded the local hits "River Jordan" and "Glory Hallelujah". He then provided "Judgement" for Leslie Kong's business mentor Charlie Moo in late 1962. By the mid-60s he had completed three other records, "Miss Ida" and "Roam Jerusalem"/"Sammy No Dead" for Sonia Pottinger and "I'm The Greatest" for Mike Shadeen.
1967 he had started his own label, his first release being Eric Morris' local hit, "Say What You're Saying". During the next few years Eccles was one of reggae's leading producers. He was instrumental in helping Lee Perry to set up his own operation when that producer left Coxsone, arranging Perry's huge local hit, "People Funny Boy", in 1968.
From 1969 Trojan Records released Eccles's productions on UK Clandisc. Records such as "Fire Corner" by DJ King Stitt and the bawdy "Fatty Fatty" by Eccles were very popular, not only with audiences in Jamaica and the Afro-Caribbean communities in North America and the UK, but also appealing to the British skinheads who followed Jamaican music at that time. In this period, utilizing his studio band the Dynamites, Eccles produced records by such artists as Alton Ellis, Lord Creator, the Fabulous Flames, Lee Perry, Larry Marshall, Joe Higgs, the Beltones, Busty Brown, Carl Dawkins and Cynthia Richards. He issued many records featuring his own vocals, singing either heartfelt love songs or stinging social comment. A lifelong socialist, Eccles has continued to record material on this theme right up to 1985, when he issued "Mash Up We Country", a song that takes its place alongside such classics as the pro-PNP (People's National Party) anthem "Rod Of Correction" (1972) and "Generation Belly" (1976). Eccles was also an adviser to Michael Manley's PNP Government from 1972 on matters relating to the music business. He continues to release compilations of oldies, as well as the occasional new production. Eccles is the quintessential Jamaican producer, particularly in the attention he pays to his craft and his awareness of his audience's tastes.
Though not nearly as well known Duke Reid or Coxsone Dodd, producer and sometime vocalist Eccles made a lot of rock steady in the late '60s and early '70s, much of it on his Clan disc label. As a singer Eccles had started recording back in the late '50s, when he cut some ska for Dodd. After bouncing around the ska and early reggae scene for a while, he became more active in the studio in the late '60s, overseeing tracks by Alton Ellis Joe Higgs, Beres Hammond.
Dennis Bovell, AKA Blackbeard, musician / artist / sound engineer/ record producer.
Has worked either as sound engineer or producer for many top acts, including:
Linton Kwesi Johnson (LKJ) Viola Wills, Dennis Brown, Errol Dunkley, Nick Straker Band, Matumbi, Louisa Mark, Bob Geldof & The Boomtown Rats, Thompson Twins, Dexter Midnight Runners, Steel Pulse, Janet Kay, Fella Kuti, The Slits, Orange Juice, The Clash, Edwin Collins, Marvin Gaye. Plus many other leading Reggae, Rap, Hip-Hop, Pop, Soul, Soca & Gospel acts from around the world.
Rudy Thomas, singer / sound engineer / producer, has worked as producer or engineer with the following artists, Yellow Man, Susan Codigan, JC Lodge, The Mighty Diamonds, Big Youth, Culture, Dennis Brown, Including mixing Boris Gardener�s world wide international hit record �I Wanna Wake Up With You�
Tony Phillips, Guitarist founder member of Europe�s no 1 reggae Backing Band the
Ruff Cutt. This Band has worked with all the major reggae acts, Shabba Ranks, Mai Priest, Tiger, Ken Booth plus many more. Tony has produced the following artists, Freddy Mcgregor, John Holt, Alton Ellis, Nerious Joseph, Tippa Irie, Frankie Paul, plus many more, from Dance Hall, Ska, Lovers, Rock Steady etc.
Fitzroy Blake, a sound engineer, who has worked as sound engineer or producers for many artists, including; Beris Hammond, Luciano, Morgan Heritage, Tyrone Taylor, John Holt, The Twinkle Brothers, Lloyd Brown, Peter Honnigale, Don Campbell, Alton Ellis & Rasites etc.
Lindel Lewis, keyboard player/ sound engineer, has a few international top 5 hit records to his credits, including Judy Boucher�s, �I Can�t Be With You Tonight� which became No 1 in South Africa. � Memories of You� the follow up which reached No 5 in many Countries around the world. He also produced the following acts, The Chosen Few, Winston Francis, Dave Barker, Ambelique, and The Sus Band.
All the above producers can be booked for your projects.
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