By Simone Morgan-Lindo—
AT his venerable Studio One, legendary music producer Clement “Sir Coxson” Dodd gave fledging acts an opportunity to be heard on the world stage, while at the same time influenced the development of ska, rocksteady, and reggae on the island.
Born in Kingston, Dodd set up his Downbeat Sound System in the early 1950s, and it became hugely popular in the Corporate Area. Deejays U-Roy and Prince Buster honed their craft through his amplifiers and became celebrities, of sorts.
Dodd, with a bigger vision, transitioned into recording and set up Studio One, the first black-owned studio in Jamaica. During the late ’50s, studios were mostly owned by the Chinese. With his Sunday auditions he was able to attract the best of Jamaica’s talents to his stable.
Studio One found a permanent home on Brentford Road in Kingston in 1963.
Dodd recorded and released music by most of the top reggae recording artists of the era across all genres, including The Skatalites, The Ethiopians, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, John Holt, Horace Andy, Ken Boothe, Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown, and Alton Ellis. All had fans in the United States and in the United Kingdom.
Dodd continued producing throughout his latter years and acts including Burning Spear, Ras Michael, Delroy Wilson, Horace Andy, and Sugar Minott passed through his hands.
In 2002, he was awarded a Gold Musgrave Medal by the Institute of Jamaica for his contribution to Jamaica’s music.
On May 1, 2004, Dodd died of a heart attack at his studio. He was 72.
In his honor, Brentford Road was renamed Studio One Boulevard. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Distinction, in the rank of commander on October 2007.
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