Lloyd Coxsone, sound system operator & record producer, was born Lloyd Blackford sometime around 1945 in Morant Bay, Jamaican. He moved to Wandsworth, London in 1962. He borrowed his new last name from the great Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, himself one of Jamaica's leading sound system operators & producers. It was a fitting & justified tribute. Blackford operated his own Coxsone Sound System in London from 1965 through to the 1980s (he has since come out of semi-retirement to work Sir Coxsone Outernational).
In the 1970s he moved his Sound System to...first the Flamingo Club in Soho,
& then the Roaring 20s club (later renamed Colombo's) in Carnaby Street. It was this residency on Carnaby Street that garnered him much fame.
Bob Marley would often stop by to see Lloyd when he was in London. Marley wrote "Kinky Reggae" about a night out at Colombo's when he'd narrowly missed getting caught in a police raid. "I think I might join the fun, but I had to hit & run. Seems like I just can't settle down, in a kinky part of town..."
Lloyd was still doing his gigs at Colombo's when he started producing songs for general release. Sir Coxsone also played every Wednesday night at the Four Aces in Dalston, where he hosted a weekly talent show.
After the teenage Louisa Marks won three weeks running Lloyd took her in the studio & created "Caught You in a Lie". Lloyd took the recording around to Reg McLean's Safari label for distribution. Then EMI got involved & Safari soon had a massive hit on their hands. Unfortunately Lloyd didn't get a penny. The only thing he got out of the deal was a year's jail sentence after he broke McLean's jaw.
The following two releases were mixes of Lloyd's own productions. The first volume features musicians from Lloyd's stable such as Matumbi along with rhythms produced at King Tubby's in Jamaica by Gussie Clarke. The second volume features primarily cuts produced by Lloyd with additional mixes by Scientist & added vocals by Jah Pebbels & Levi Roots.
Sir Coxson Sound - King of the Dub Rock, Safari Records SFA 100, 1975.
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Side A1 -
King of the Dubb Rock
Capital City Rock
Live & Love
Born to Love (version of Delroy Wilson’s "Dancing Mood")
Mouth of the Wicked
Side A2 -
Piccadilly Circus Dub (version of Delroy Wilson’s "Addis Ababa")
Tribute to Mohammed Ali
Many Moods of Coxson
It’s Reggae Time Dubb Rock
Sounds of Safari (another version of Delroy Wilson’s "Dancing Mood")
Title as given on the back cover, spine & center labels have it "King of the Dubb Rock". Center labels credit Lloyd Coxson instead of Sir Coxson Sound as on the front cover.
Sir Coxsone Sound - King of Dub Rock Part 2, Regal Records RLP 001, 1982,
Side A -
Black Wars Reggae
Zion Bound (version of the Skatalite's "Confusius" riddim)
Travelling Israel Dub (version of Burning Spear's "Travelling"...Scientist mix)
East of Rockfort Rock (version of "Rockfort Rock" from Coxsone Dodd/Prince Francis)
Psalm 87:2 (featuring Jah Pebbles)
Side B-
Bower Dub
So Much Dub to Give
United Africa
Reggae Fusion
Poor Man's Story (featuring Levi Roots)
Recorded at Harry J's & Channel One. Produced by Lloyd Coxsone (some mixes assisted by Scientist) with: Earl 'Chinna' Smith - lead guitar; Sangie (Anthony Horace Davis) & Brownie (Dalton Anthony Browne) - rhythm guitar; Ansell Collins & Gladstone Anderson - keyboards; Earl 'Bagga Judah' Walker, Lloyd Parks, & Robbie Shakespeare - bass; Tommy McCook - saxophone; Bobbie Ellis, Glen Da Costa, & David Madden - trumpet; Vincent 'Trommie' Gordon - trombone; Noel 'Scully' Simms & Uziah 'Sticky' Thompson - percussion; & Albert Malawi, Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace, & Sly Dunbar - drums. Center labels have it "King of the Dub Rock Part 2"
Enjoy,
NØ