Sonny Roberts (1932 – March 17, 2021), often known as Sonny Orbitone, was a
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
n
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
who had success within the British reggae market in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s with his Planetone and Orbitone record labels.
Born in 1932 in Spice Grove,
Manchester Parish, Roberts, who was originally a
carpenter, emigrated to London in 1958.
[Campbell, Howard (2012)]
The unheralded trailblazer
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 27 June 2012, retrieved 2012-07-01 In 1961, he set up a recording studio in the basement of 108 Cambridge Road (a property owned by future
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name ''Trojan'' comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck ...
founder
Lee Gopthal), the first in Britain owned by a Jamaican.
[Campbell, Howard (2015)]
A pioneer gets his due
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 1 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015 He started the Planetone label the following year (and later the Sway label), sharing premises with
Island Records which provided distribution for the label, releasing
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
records by artists such as
Rico Rodriguez and also
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
records.
[Smith, Steve Alexander (2009) ''British Black Gospel: The Foundations of This Vibrant UK Sound'', Monarch Books, , p. 60][Donnelly, Mark (2005) ''Sixties Britain: Culture, Society and Politics'', Longman, , p. 47][de Koningh, Michael & Cane-Honeysett, Laurence (2003) ''Young Gifted and Black: The Story of Trojan Records'', Sanctuary Publishing, , p. 27] The studio and record label operated until the late 1960s.
He also cut acetates, which he supplied to local
sound systems.
[Bradley, Lloyd (2000) ''This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaican Music'', Grove Press, , p. 124-5]
In the mid-1970s, he opened a record shop in
Harlesden
Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, North West London.
Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west toward ...
and started the Orbitone label, which was one of the key
lovers rock labels, with releases by artists such as Tim Chandell,
Judy Boucher and Joyce Bond, as well as releasing
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
n music.
Roberts also ran the Love Vendor sound system.
In 1987, his production of Judy Boucher's "Can't Be with You Tonight" reached number two in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
, Chart Stats, retrieved 2012-07-01
He returned to Jamaica in 1997, living in Saint Andrew Parish, where he ran a company producing natural colouring and seasoning products.[Campbell, Howard (2021)]
Pioneer producer Sonny Roberts dead at 89
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 20 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Sonny
1932 births
2021 deaths
People from Manchester Parish
Jamaican record producers
Migrants from British Jamaica to the United Kingdom