Blue Beat Records is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

that released

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 Hispa ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

(R&B) and ska music in the 1960s and later decades. Its reputation led to the use of the word ''bluebeat'' as a generic term to describe all styles of early Jamaican pop music, including music by artists not associated with the record label.

History

The Blue Beat label was founded in 1960, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, as an imprint of Emil E. Shalit's Melodisc Records.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 31-32'Blue Beat' Brought Jamaican Ska To UK Shores
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 29 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014 Melodisc, which was founded in London in 1947, specialised in releasing calypso and

mento Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It is a fusion of African rhythmic elements and European elements, which reached peak popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. Mento typically ...

and imported American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

music. The Blue Beat label focused on American-influenced Jamaican blues and R&B, which later evolved into ska, and was launched following the positive response in the United Kingdom to Laurel Aitken's Melodisc release of "Lonesome Lover". Shalit put Sigimund "Siggy" Jackson in charge of the label, and Jackson subsequently chose the name Blue Beat, which he said was an adaptation of "It sounds like blues and it's got a great beat" or "Blues Beat", which apparently was a generic term for Jamaican blues music at the time.

The early years: 1960s and 1970s

The first release on the Blue Beat label was "Boogie Rock" by Laurel Aitken, which was licensed from Dada Tewari's Downbeat label. The Blue Beat label's distinctive blue covers and silver logo first appeared with the label's third release, "Manny Oh" by Higgs and

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

. The Blue Beat label reached licensing agreements with the majority of major Jamaican producers and also released many home-produced recordings by Siggy Jackson, featuring English-based artists such as the Marvels. Even some

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

hits, including "Wash-Wash", were recorded in London, and involved well-known UK musicians such as

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...

. The Blue Beat label released around 400 singles and over a dozen albums between 1960 and 1967.Adams, Owen (2008)
Label of Love: Blue Beat Records
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', 15 December 2008, retrieved 2011-06-25 Prince Buster became the Blue Beat label's biggest star, with songs such as "

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

". Siggy Jackson established a Blue Beat night at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed ...

in London, and fashion accessories featuring the Blue Beat label's logo became popular. Many records on the Blue Beat label were played alongside

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

in dance clubs such as the

Twisted Wheel The Twisted Wheel was a nightclub in Manchester, England, open from 1963 to 1971. It was one of the first clubs to play the music that became known as Northern Soul. History The nightclub was founded by the brothers Jack, Phillip and Ivor ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

. In addition to appealing greatly to the West Indian community in the UK, the music became associated with the British mods of the early to mid-1960s, as well as the

skinhead A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...

s of the late 1960s. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, records on the Blue Beat label became highly collectable amongst those who regarded records like Prince Buster's "Al Capone" as classics. When the ska rhythm slowed to

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

around 1966, Melodisc started a new sub-label, Fab, and the Blue Beat label stopped issuing new releases after 1967 (although the back catalogue continued to sell for several years). Jackson left to work for EMI, where he founded the Columbia Blue Beat label. The Blue Beat label was revived in 1972 for a short run of obscure releases including John Holt's "Ok Fred" and "Sad News" singles. as well as reissues of some of the popular classics from Prince Buster's catalogue such as Al Capone and Ten Commandments Of Man. Later in the decade some of these tunes were once again reissued in 12" single format to supply the new younger audience that emerged from the 2-Tone generation.

1980s and 1990s

In 1987,

Buster Bloodvessel Douglas Trendle (né Woods; born 6 September 1958), better known as Buster Bloodvessel, is an English singer who has been the frontman of the two-tone band Bad Manners since forming the band in 1976.Larkin, Colin (1997) ''The Virgin Encyclopedi ...

(of the

2 Tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell * Two-tone sequential paging, se ...

ska revival band

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, '' Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at their most popular during the early 1 ...

) and producer Ivan Healy Purvis started a brand new record label called Blue Beat Records and licensed the Blue Beat label name and logo. The label was run from a reclaimed riverboat named "The Bloodvessel", which was in Bloodvessel's backyard in Spring Hill. Between 1987 and 1990, this label released several records, including the Bad Manners album ''Return of The Ugly''. The Bad Manners single "Skaville UK" was the last Blue Beat single to make an impact on the UK charts, reaching #87 in 1989.

21st century

In 2004, Siggy Jackson was approached by No.1 Station band leader Marcus Upbeat (aka Downbeat) with the idea of starting a revival of The Blue Beat Label. Together Siggy and Marcus released a series of 7-inch singles on the label in the style of The Blue Beat Label's 1960s output. These releases included six singles by No. 1 Station, which featured The Blue Beat Label veteran Eddie 'Tan-Tan' Thornton on trumpet and several guest vocalists, including The Marvels. Siggy Jackson re-issued several tracks from his own back catalogue, as well as one single each from ska revival band Intensified and veterans of The Blue Beat Label the Pyramids. Siggy also reissued two Laurel Aitken tracks, and a single by the Mopeds which had previously been issued on Columbia Blue Beat. These releases were all limited edition vinyl pressings. Siggy Jackson retired from the music industry in 2008. Marcus Upbeat then acquired The Blue Beat Label to continue with label's revival. In 2011, Marcus Upbeat registered Blue Beat Records Ltd to continue The Blue Beat Label. and in 2011 released another new 7" single on The Blue Beat Label. Marcus then embraced the emerging and ever faster growing digital age for The Blue Beat Label. An exclusive digital distribution agreement for The Blue Beat Label was implemented and over the following years a few selective No.1 Station and other releases were made available for digital release on iTunes and other reputable digital outlets. The Blue Beat Label got a further reboot in 2019 with the re-release of a No. 1 station single She's So Sweet on 7 inch vinyl marcus upbeat re recorded this all on his own and the digital single released on The Blue Beat Label, and a new website featuring all the releases on the label over the past sixty years, alongside Marcus Upbeat agreeing a deal with Tipp Investments to acquire a stake in Blue Beat Records Ltd. It has been reported that the deal is due to complete during April 2020. The Blue Beat Label is still going independently as it reaches sixty.

References

{{Authority control Record labels established in 1960 Record labels disestablished in 1967 Record labels established in 1972 Record labels established in 1989 Record labels disestablished in 1990 Record labels established in 2004 Defunct record labels of the United Kingdom Reggae record labels Ska record labels

History

The early years: 1960s and 1970s

1980s and 1990s

21st century

See also

References