Blue Beat Records is an English record label that released Jamaican rhythm and blues (R&B) and

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 w ...

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, 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
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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. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Original ...

'', 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 Music of Jamaica, 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. ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

music. The Blue Beat label focused on American-influenced Jamaican blues and R&B, which later evolved into

, 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

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and Wilson. 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 only B ...

. 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
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The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 15 December 2008, retrieved 25 June 2011 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 organized crime, gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-foun ...

". Siggy Jackson established a Blue Beat night at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...

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 African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

in dance clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester. 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 or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

s of the late 1960s. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, records on the Blue Beat label became highly collectable among 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 EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

, 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 (of the

2 Tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Second-order intercept point#Two-tone analysis, Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone Warning chime, chime, such as the "ding ...

ska revival band

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English Two-tone (music genre), two-tone and ska Musical ensemble, band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary ''Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at ...

) 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 No. 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