Lawrence Lindo (died April 1989), better known as Jack Ruby, was a Jamaican

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and sound system operator, best known for his 1970s productions of artists such as

Burning Spear Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots ar ...

. Ruby was based in

Ocho Rios Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica, and is more widely referred to as ''Ochi'' by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth in the ...

and during his time was the only major Jamaican record producer not headquartered in Kingston. He ran the Jack Ruby Hi Fi sound system and is considered one of the best

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah b ...

producers of the 1970s, having established a distinctive sound, noted for the unique use of horn arrangements.Unterberger, Richie
Jack "L. Lindo" Ruby Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, retrieved 2010-12-19 Ruby produced Burning Spear's ''

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

'' and '' Man in the Hills'' albums, both of which were licensed to

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, an ...

, establishing Spear as an international success.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 146-7 Other artists that he produced include Justin Hinds (''Just in Time''/''Jezebel''),Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 139

The Gaylads The Gaylads are a Jamaican vocal group. They were one of the top rocksteady vocal groups active in Jamaica between 1963 and 1973. History The group, formed in Kingston, originally consisted of singers Harris "B.B." Seaton, Winston Delano St ...

The Heptones The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady into ...

, and

Big Youth Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his w ...

. Ruby appeared as himself in the film ''

Rockers Rocker or rockers may refer to: Places *Rocker, Montana, a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States People *Rocker, a British drummer, formerly of The Flatmates * Fermin Rocker (1907–2004), painter and illustrator *John Rocker (born 1974) ...

'', which also features

Kiddus I Kiddus I (born Frank Dowding Jr, December 1944)Katz, David (2000) "People Funny Boy - The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry", Payback Press, is a reggae singer and musician, best known for his appearance in the film ''Rockers''. Biography Dowding w ...

recording "Graduation in Zion" in Ruby's studio.Bafaloukos, Ted (2005)
Rockers
,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...

, 11 October 2005, retrieved 2010-12-19 In the 1980s he suffered from ill-health and his productions were less regular, although he produced the debut album by Foundation in 1988.Keating, Robert (1988)
Knowledge
, '' SPIN'', January 1988, p. 69, retrieved 2010-12-19 He died in 1989. His son, who works under the name Jack Ruby Jr. is a

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobil ...

who has worked with

The Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American second wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert "Bucket" Hingley relocated to New ...

,Nickson, Chris (1998)
Stubborn All-Stars: NYC Ska Mob
, ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'', February 1998, p. 17, retrieved 2010-12-19 and his grandson is the popular singer

Sean Kingston Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", " Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wi ...

.Campbell, Howard (2010)
An 'Honorebel' Effort
, ''

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 '' ...

'', 18 May 2010, retrieved 2010-12-19Mitchell, Gail (2009)
Burning Down the House
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', 29 August 2009, p. 26, retrieved 2010-12-19

Productions

* Burning Spear - ''

'' (1976) * Burning Spear - ''Garvey's Ghost'' (1976) * Burning Spear - ''Harder Than The Best'' (compilation of recordings from 1975–1977) * Burning Spear - ''Man in the Hills'' (1976) * Justin Hinds & the Dominoes - ''Jezebel'' (1976) * Justin Hinds - ''Just in Time'' (1978) * Kiddus I - ''Graduation in Zion'' (compilation 1978–1980) - produced some tracks *

Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...

& Tyrone Taylor - ''Two of a Kind'' (1987) * Various Artists - ''Black Slavery Days (The Sound of St. Ann's)'' (recorded 1975, released 1981) * Various Artists - ''Jack Ruby Hi Fi'' (1981) * Various Artists - ''Jack Ruby Presents the Black Foundation'' (compilation of 1970s recordings) *

King Tubby Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who greatly influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s. Tubby's innovative studio work, which saw him elevate the ...

& Errol Thompson - ''The Black Foundation in Dub'' (dubs of the above album) * Donovan ''World Power'' (1987) * Donovan ''Banzani'' (1988) * Foundation -''Flames'' (1987) * Foundation -''Heart Feel It'' (1988) * Earth Messengers -''Ivory Towers'' (1988) * Link and Chain - ''New Day'' (1988) * Revealers - '' hard times'' 70's

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby, Jack Jamaican record producers 1989 deaths Year of birth missing people from Saint Ann Parish