King Jammy's

by Beth Lesser, Steve Barrow

A window into the life and work of King Jammy, this book looks at one of Jamaica's legendary sound system owners and record producers-the man credited with saving reggae music by injecting it with new life through the development of digital rhythms. While the dominant roots sound that had come to define reggae during the 1970s had been primarily associated with ganja and Rastafari, the fresh sound that was coming out of Jammy's studio was upbeat, aggressive, and thoroughly modern in its use of electronic drums and keyboards. This book makes no attempt to cover the history of reggae or search out the roots of this popular musical form. Instead, it takes a detailed look at the musical history of one man, the legendary King Jammy, and intertwines his unique story with a portrait of the times in which he lived and worked.

Genres: Music

152 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sheehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worship at the church of King Tubby, regard him as the highest of highs for his work; one of his prodigy's was Prince Jammy, who in his own right was crowned King Jammy, carrying the musical baton of sound system engineering into the digital age with the ubiquitous "sleng teng", "punanny" and other riddims.

This book does a fine job of on the ground reporting on yard. The layout is fantastic, the photographs interesting as is the prose by Beth Lesser who was engaged in the early dancehall scene of JA. It ois definitely for someone who already is interested and has some background of the scene.