Legendary Jamaican producer, and proprioter of Studio One Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd has passed away at the age of 72 on May 4th 2004, following a heart attack.

Dodd was born in Kingston in 1932, and appropriated the nickname "Coxson" from an English cricketer he admired (the alternate spelling "Coxsone", with the additional "e", refers to the record label). His love of music was instilled at an early age when listeing to blues and jazz stations broadcasting from the US. It was while working as a mechanic that he first discovered the ability of music as a marketing tool. Returning home from work, he would assist his mother in her grocery store, and play records to the customers, who would happily sit outside the store and consume alcohol bought from the Dodds.

At weekends Dodd would follow Tom The Great Sebastians sound system, and following a stint as a farm worker in the US, he was inspired to set up his own system in the mid-50`s. Dodd started by playing his records on Duke Reid`s Trojan sound to test the water, before diving in with his own Downbeat sound. An early booking pitted Dodd against Reid, afterwhich an intense rivalry developed between the two sound operators.

Eventually demand for new music was such that Dodd decided to record local artists to satisfy the sound followers, and he was recording at Kingston`s Federal Studio by 1956. Early recordings were used soley on the sound system, and were not available to the public, but soon Dodd, and his rivals, were releasing locally recorded music on their own labels. An early success was Theo Beckfords "Easy Snapping", listed in some sources as 1959, but actually recorded 2 years before it`s public release.

Such hits would persuade Dodd to invest in his own recording studio, so that more time could be spent on each recording to assure that the final product was up to his standards. "When you hire a studio, sometime you`re watching the clock on the wall, and sometimes you accept a take just because time is running out. When you have your own studio then you try to get perfection, and you stick to that" he remembered.

The premises were located at 13 Brentford Road, Kingston, Jamaica (formally the "End" nightclub), and Dodd would employ an in house session band on a weekly wage. The studio opened in 1963 (although Dodd remembered being there from 1961), and musicians on the sessions included Cluett Johnson, Johnny Moore and Roland Alphonso and other musicians he would hand pick from Jamaican orchestras.

Having already released his own recordings on a handful of labels, such as Port O` Jam and Coxsone, Dodd would unveil a new label to promote his own studio. Studio One is now the generic term used for all of Dodd`s recordings, and it is the also the name that the studio at 13 Brentford Road would become universally known and loved by.

As the Jamaican music industry grew, Dodd soon found himself looking over a quickly developing empire, and his studio was the place for many wannabe stars to audition. Over the years Studio One played host to the likes of Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, The Gaylads, Burning Spear, Sugar Minott and literally hundreds more, a large portion of whom went onto attain lasting careers and, in several cases, even worldwide recognition. Of course the most famous of Dodd`s proteges were the Wailers.

The then five piece Wailers arrived at Studio One in 1963, and consisted of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston, Junior Braithwaite and Beverley Kelso. Early success came in the form of the singles "It Hurts To Be Alone", and "Simmer Down" before both Braithwaite and Green departed from the group. Dodd became something of a surrogate father to Marley, and Bob would actually live at the premises for a while, while also acting as a kind of impromptue A&R man.

The remaining Wailers trio remained at Studio One until 1966, when Marley left for a stint in the United States and was replaced by Constantine Walker. He returned in October of that year, afterwhich the Wailers left Dodd to pursue an independent career.

In the studio, his session band evolved into the Skatalites, who ruled supreme during the original ska era following their formation in June 1964 until their untimely demise in June 1965. The Soul Vendors were formed as replacements, and eventually superseded by the Sound Dimension as the `60s drew to a conclusion. The importance that these bands played in the legend of Studio One cannot be overstated. Rhythm tracks that the bands laid down were often re-used, not only by Dodd but also by other producers who recorded copy versions of the Studio One tracks. This technique of "versioning" became common practise in Jamaican music, and it is more often than not that the rhythms copied originated at Studio One. Tracks laid down by Dodd are still being copied today; Recently Dancehall star Sean Paul had an international hit with "I`m Still In Love With You", the original of which was recorded at Studio One by Alton Ellis in 1967.

Just as rockers in the `70s often drew inspiration from Dodd`s original recordings, dancehall music throughout the `80s, `90s, and into the next millenium, continues to draw influence from Studio One.

In 2002 Dodd was given a special award for his contribution to music by the Jamaican Government, and on the 30th April 2004, the Friday before his passing, Brentford Road was renamed Studio One Boulevard in honour of his achievments.

Mr. Dodd was a visionary; an astute businessman who saw the potential of a developing market, and took control. Clement Dodd will be sadly missed by many Jamaican music fans around the globe, but he will never be forgotten. His legacy will continue to live on, while the institution that he founded at Studio One is one of the foundations upon which the entire Jamaican music industry rests, and as such, musicians and fans of their music owe Mr. Dodd a great debt.

Andy Clayden, 5th May 2004

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