Vincent George Forbes (25 October 1928 – 3 November 2012), better known as Duke Vin, was a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n-born

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

operator and selector who operated the first sound system in the United Kingdom.

Biography

Born in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Jamaica, Forbes was raised on Wildman Street and attended the Calabar All-Age School.Duke Vin
, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', 23 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012. He began his career as a selector on the Tom the Great Sebastian sound system in the early 1950s, being given a chance after helping Tom Wong to change a tyre on his car. Katz, David (2006), ''People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry'', Omnibus Press, , p. 16.Salewicz, Chris (21 November 2012),
Duke Vin: 'Soundman' who brought sound systems to Britain
, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''. Retrieved 1 December 2012. At the time, Forbes was known as "Shine-Shoes Vinny" due to his smart appearance.Hutton, Clinton (1 December 2007),
Forging Identity And Community Through Aestheticism and Entertainment: The Sound System and The Rise Of The DJ
, ''

Caribbean Quarterly ''Caribbean Quarterly'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering studies on the culture of the Caribbean, with its content comprising scholarly articles, essays, criticism, creative writing and book reviews. The journal is published ...

''. After travelling to England in 1954 as a stowaway on a boat from

, he found work as an engine cleaner for

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

, becoming an electrician two years later.Burrell, Ian (2009),
The Duke of Notting Hill
, ''The Independent'', 4 September 2009. He built his first sound system in 1955 using a second-hand turntable bought from a shop in

Edgware Road Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes sever ...

, a speaker bought for £15 and an amplifier built for £4, soon establishing "Duke Vin the Tickler's", in

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also the name of the sur ...

, London, the first Jamaican-style sound system in the UK.Barrow, Steve, & Dalton, Peter (2004), ''The Rough Guide to Reggae'', 3rd edn, Rough Guides, , p. 384. The sound system played an important part in popularising

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 ...

in Britain. Hebdige, Dick (1987), ''Cut 'N' Mix'', Routledge, , p. 77. He initially played R&B but soon concentrated on Jamaican music – he was supplied with fresh Jamaican releases, including many from Studio One, by the Daddy Peckings shop in West London.Beckford, Robert (2006), ''Jesus Dub: Theology, Music and Social Change'', Routledge, , p. 41.Broughton, Simon, et al. (eds) (2000), ''World Music: The Rough Guide'', Rough Guides, , p. 457. Fellow Jamaican

Count Suckle Wilbert Augustus Campbell (12 August 1931 – 19 May 2014),George Ruddock"Jamaican Club Legend Count Suckle Died From 'Heart Attack'" ''The Voice'', 27 May 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014 known as Count Suckle, was a Jamaica-born sound system op ...

soon set up a sound system in the same area, leading to a rivalry between the two and several

sound clash A sound clash is a musical competition where crew members from opposing sound systems pit their skills against each other. Sound clashes take place in a variety of venues, both indoors and outdoors, and primarily feature reggae and dancehall music. ...

es, with Vin involved in the UK's first clash in 1958. Bradley, Lloyd (2001), ''Bass Culture: When Reggae was King'', Penguin, , p. 115. In the 1960s his sound played at top London clubs, including

The Marquee 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. It was the location of the first live performance b ...

and The Flamingo. In the late 1960s he served time in prison after being convicted of

pimping Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term "pimp" ...

, a charge that he denied. On his release, he built a larger sound system and bought a house off

Harrow Road Harrow Road is an ancient route in London, North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow, London, Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queen's Park, London, Queens Par ...

. One of the tracks that exclusively featured on his sound system was "The Tickler", a track produced by

Derrick Harriott Derrick Clifton Harriott OD (born 6 February 1939) is a Jamaican singer and record producer. He was a member of the Jiving Juniors with Herman Sang before embarking on a solo career. He has produced recordings by Big Youth, Chariot Riders, ...

that was unavailable elsewhere until it was released in 2006. In 1973, Forbes was one of the founders of the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean Carnival event that has taken place in London since 1966

, and performed at the event for 37 years, despite suffering a stroke in his later years. He was the subject of the 2009 documentary film ''Duke Vin and the Birth of Ska'', directed by Gus Berger. Forbes died in London on 3 November 2012.

References

External links

Duke Vin and the Birth of Ska
Gusto Films {{DEFAULTSORT:Duke Vin 1928 births 2012 deaths Jamaican sound systems People from Kingston, Jamaica