West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) was a recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica established by future Prime Minister
Edward Seaga
Edward Philip George Seaga ( or ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005.Higgs and Wilson, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. As Seaga pursued his political career he sold it to
Byron Lee
Byron Lee , ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008. born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee ...
in 1964 who renamed it Dynamic Sounds. Dynamic became one of the best-equipped studios in the Caribbean, attracting both local and international recording artists including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon and
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
.
History
The West Indies Records Limited studio was established by
Edward Seaga
Edward Philip George Seaga ( or ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005.Vere John
Vere may refer to:
Given name
* Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland grandson to Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury
* Vere Fane, 5th Earl of Westmorland
* Vere Fane, 14th Earl of Westmorland
* Vere Monckton-Arundell, Viscountess Galway
* Ve ...
's talent show.
WIRL recorded artists such as Higgs and Wilson, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. Byron Lee and the Dragonaires recorded their debut single "Dumplin's" in 1959 at WIRL. Higgs and Wilson's track "
Oh Manny Oh
Oh, OH, or Oh! is an interjection, often proclaiming surprise. It may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Albums
* ''Oh!'' (Girls' Generation album), 2010
* ''Oh!'' (ScoLoHoFo album), 2003
* ''OH (ohio)'', by Lambchop, 2008
* ''Oh!'', an E ...
Jamaica Observer
''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety ...
'', 31 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012
West Indies Records Limited became the most successful record company in the West Indies.
WIRL had the franchise for Columbia Records in Jamaica.
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 ...
handled the studios albums abroad and released compilations of the studios recordings.
WIRL also established a Barbadian division.
Dynamic Sounds
As Seaga pursued his political career he sold it to
Byron Lee
Byron Lee , ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 27 October 2008. born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee ...
in 1964 after fire had destroyed the pressing plant on the same site. Byron Lee renamed it Dynamic Sounds and soon rebuilt a new pressing facility on the site. It soon became one of the best-equipped studios in the Caribbean, attracting both local and international recording artists, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon and
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
(who recorded their song " Angie" there).Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, Lee's productions included Boris Gardiner's ''Reggae Happening'',
Hopeton Lewis
Hopeton Lewis (3 October 1947 – 4 September 2014) was a Jamaican born singer of rocksteady and reggae, an arranger, and radio music presenter.
Biography
Lewis was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He sang in church from an early age, and starte ...
's ''Grooving Out on Life'', and
The Slickers
The Slickers were a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae group in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Slickers centred on Derrick Crooks, one of the founding members of The Pioneers along with his brother Sydney. In the mid-1960s, The Slickers consi ...
' "Johnny Too Bad". Dynamic also acts as one of Jamaica's leading record distributors.
In Jamaica, Dynamic released records from
Toots & the Maytals
The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music.
...
,
Eric Donaldson
Eric Donaldson (born 11 June 1947 in Bog Walk, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter. He originated in Saint Catherine, Jamaica.
Biography
Born in Kent Village, about 2 miles from Bog Walk, Donaldson first recorded for Studio One i ...
Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook (3 March 1927 – 5 May 1998) was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One S ...
, and Max Romeo on various imprints including Jaguar, Panther, Afrik, and Dragon. Notable recordings there included
Murder She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...