Errol Thompson (29 December 1948 – 13 November 2004), better known as "ET", was a Jamaican
record producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
,
audio engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...
, and one of the first
studio engineers to be involved in
dub music
Dub is a musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican reggae, p.&nb ...
.
Career
Thompson gained studio experience at
Studio One, working alongside Joe Gibbs.
[Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 314-315, 318] He went on to work for
Bunny Lee and in the 1970s he worked (along with
Niney) as an engineer at Randy's Studio 17, in
Kingston,
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 ...
. Thompson engineered the first instrumental reggae album, ''The Undertaker'' by
Derrick Harriott And The , released in 1970.
He went on to work with
Joe Gibbs from 1975.
Gibbs and Thompson were known collectively as the Mighty Two.
Together they produced music by
Junior Byles,
Dennis Brown,
Gregory Isaacs,
Althea and Donna,
Prince Far I and
Eek-A-Mouse, before their partnership ended in 1983 when Gibbs relocated to Miami.
Thompson also engineered
tracks by
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
,
The Abyssinians,
Augustus Pablo,
Big Youth
Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican Toasting (J ...
,
Culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
,
Yellowman,
Frankie Paul and
Burning Spear. In addition, he produced work by
I-Roy,
Cornell Campbell,
Freddie McGregor, and
Barrington Levy. Thompson also worked with producer,
Clive Chin. His final project, the "Hard Times Riddim", co-produced with Stephen Gibson, son of partner Joe Gibbs, was instrumental in creating a resurgence in
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
. The album included many key reggae performers of the time including,
Capleton,
I Wayne,
Richie Spice,
Chuck Fenda, and
Luciano.
Later in life, he moved away from the
music industry
The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
and managed a
supermarket
A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...
in North Parade, downtown Kingston.
Thompson died, after numerous
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
s, on 13 November 2004, at the age of 55.
Discography
;Albums
With King Tubby
*''King Tubby / Errol Thompson - The Black Foundation In Dub'' (2000, Heartbeat Records)
;Singles & EPs
*Jamaican Born & Bred / Version (7") (1971, Ashanti)
*Prince Far I / Errol Thompson - Same Knife / Different Dagger (7") (1999, Crazy Joe)
*The Stones, Errol Thompson & The Mighty Artons - Penetrate (7")
*Linval Thompson / Scientist & Errol Thompson - Touch Up The Key (7")
*Johnnie Clarke / Errol Thompson, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - Take Heed / Look Out (7")
* The Echoes / Joe Gibbs, Errol Thompson & The Professionals - Problems In Being A Dread / Dread Problems (7")
*Errol Thompson / J Gibson & Clint Eastwood / Bigger T - Production Plan / Million Dollar Plan (7")
*Kojack & Miss Glitter / Joe Gibbs & Errol Thompson - I Can't Stop Loving You / Loving You (7")
;Contributing artist
* ''
The Rough Guide to Dub'' (2005,
World Music Network)
References
External links
Reggae Vibes mini biography
Listing of Thompson's engineering and productionat Roots Archives
Discography at Discogs
1948 births
2004 deaths
People from Kingston, Jamaica
Jamaican record producers
Jamaican audio engineers
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