When Monty was a kid, he and his brothers would climb up on their roof with a receiver and an antenna. They were listening for songs that they could order by mail just to feed the family sound system. Sound system crews also found other ways to get their hands on the records they needed. Many of them relied on men like Clement Seymour Dodd.
Jamaica is famous around the world for its music, including genres like ska, dub, and reggae. It’s tempting to think that the powerful amplifiers and giant speakers at the dance parties were designed to perfectly capture Jamaica’s indigenous sounds. But it’s actually the other way around. Those speakers and amps came first. And the electricians, mechanics and engineers who built and adapted that technology would then play a decisive role in the creation of Jamaica’s modern music. They helped pioneer approaches to making and performing music that would spawn whole other scenes from the Bronx to the UK.
Wickedest Sound