The Skatalites split up in 1965 after Drummond was jailed for murder, and Dodd formed new house band the Soul Brothers (1965–66), later named the Soul Vendors (1967) and Sound Dimension (1967-).
In the early 1960s, the house band providing backing for the vocalists were the Skatalites (1964–65), whose members (including Roland Alphonso, Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Jackie Mittoo, Lester Sterling and Lloyd Brevett) were recruited from the Kingston jazz scene by Dodd.
#Studio one real rock riddim series#
Dodd had previously issued music on a series of other labels, including World Disc, and had run Sir Coxsone the Downbeat, one of the largest and most reputable sound systems in the Kingston ghettos. Amongst its earliest records were "Easy Snappin" by Theophilus Beckford, backed by Clue J & His Blues Blasters, and "This Man is Back" by trombonist Don Drummond. Today, the "Real Rock" riddim is still going strong, arguably the most memorable melody in Jamaican history.Studio One was founded by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in 1954, and the first recordings were cut in 1963 on Brentford Road in Kingston. His "Armagideon Time" wowed the roots crowds, and so impressed The Clash that they cut their own cover of the hit, thus cementing for all time the ties between the punk scene and the roots world. In 1978, producer Coxsone Dodd retooled the song for the modern age and reissued it as an extended mix to shake down the dancehalls, and then unleashed Willie Williams over it. Virtually every artist on the island since has sung or toasted over a version of the piece, while every Jamaican musician can play it in his sleep. Unleashed in 1968, "Real Rock" has lived on and on, as every new generation of producers have attempted to recreate its magic for themselves. The phenomenal bass line rules, throbbing its way through Williams' snapping beats, Mittoo's and Frater's riffs are equally adamant, relieved only by the occasional musical flourish, and all the while Vin "Don D Junior" Gordon's trombone solo smokes up the grooves. "Real Rock" was one of their most potent numbers, a tough piece, infused with lashings of melody. The Sound Dimension was the house band at Studio One at the dawn of the reggae age, built around the nucleus of composer/arranger/pianist/organist Jackie Mittoo, guitarist Eric Frater and the lethal rhythm team of bassist Heptone Leroy Sibbles and drummer Bunny Williams. Hands down the most distinctive instrumental in Jamaican history, and its signature, thrubbing bass line has powered a thousand versions in its wake.