AN American record company will reissue three key productions from the legendary Studio One label this year.
Yep Roc Records, based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, kicks off the releases on May 27 with The Wailing Wailers, a 1965 set by the renowned harmony group.
The Wailing Wailers is one of Jamaican music’s seminal albums. It contains Simmer Down, the group’s first hit song; One Love; Lonesome Feeling; and the jazzy ballad,It Hurts To Be Alone.
At the time the group recorded for producer Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd at Studio One, the lineup included Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny ‘Wailer’ Livingston and Junior Braithwaite.
Money Maker, a compilation with songs by The Heptones, Burning Spear, The Wailing Souls, and John Holt will be the second release on August 5.
The Studio One Radio Show, based on two 1970s shows featuring disc jockey Winston ‘The Whip’ Williams and a Don Drummond album with songs selected by Dodd, are also scheduled for release this year by Yep Roc.
Dodd started Studio One in 1954, but did not start operating from his Brentford Road studio in Kingston until 1963. He died in 2004 at age 72.
The vast catalogue he assembled has been reissued over the years by independent companies including Heartbeat in the United States and Soul Jazz out of the United Kingdom.
Interestingly, Tor Hansen and Glen Dicker worked for Rounder Records, which owns Heartbeat.
Typical of American ‘indie’ labels, Yep Roc Records has assembled a formidable catalogue working with grassroots rock acts like rockabilly guitarist Dave Alvin, country singer Kim Ritchey, and ‘psychobilly’ singer/songwriter The Reverend Horton Heat.
Reissuing the Studio One titles is new territory for them.
“We are excited for the opportunity to relaunch the Studio One brand and thankful for the trust that Carol Dodd (Dodd’s daughter) and her team has afforded us. Through reissues of classic titles as well as new collections, we want our releases to reflect the history and legacy of Jamaica’s most iconic label,” said Yep Roc Music group general manager Billy Maupin, in a press release.
