Island Records is one of the most influential pop music record labels of all time.
Mixing cultures and influences from reggae to pop, hip hop, and even punk, Island has shaken up ideas and introduced new genres to mainstream music, bringing cultures into the musical spotlight halfway across the world. Still alive and thriving today, Island has produced some of the music industry’s biggest names and groups including Jimmy Buffet, The B-52s, U2, and Bob Marley. But like all companies, Island too started out as a hobby before it was even a small business; and the story is incredible.
Chris Salewicz, Editor of Keep of Running: The Story of Island Records wrote a beautiful narration about how Island records came to be.
“Jamaicans in the mid-1950’s were familiar with who they should stay away from. Specifically that strange tribe of outcasts known as Rastafarians: even the downtown ghetto-dwellers knew that these eccentric-appearing individuals – known at the time on the island as ‘beardmen’ – carried pieces of dead bodies in the bags they all bore.”
At age 19, Chris Blackwell went with a couple of friends on a motorboat ride from the former pirate haven of Port Royal along the south coast of the island. When the boat became stranded in a swamp along a completely remote part of the island, Chris set out for the shore. After about four hours of struggling, he came upon a beach. Exhausted, he collapsed, dying of thirst. He heard a voice, and looked up to see a Rastafarian standing above him, his dreadlocks tumbling about him like Iliana vines. The dread led Chris to a nearby encampment where he collapsed asleep. Upon waking, he heard voices reading from the bible and reasoning. They continued to read as he was fed ital food. This e...
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...s coming out of of the world music scene when it first was recognized, but that didn’t matter. The U.K. was immediately hooked, and let that music influence their own. Some of the more unrecognized music released from Island was heavily influenced from African beats, Yoruba traditional music and western sounds, influencing dance halls and discotheques around the world. Although not quite as cutting edge, Island Records still produces some pretty big names, thus maintaining their name, 50 years later.
References
"Island Records UK." Island Records UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. .
"Keep on Running: 50 Years of Island Records." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. .
Salewicz, Chris. Keep on running: the story of Island Records. New York, N.Y.: Island Trading Co., Ltd. :, 2009. Print.
The island is about 4 square miles and is today a place for tourism in the great lakes. Many thousands of years ago though this was a little piece of land with bluffs reaching high above its surroundings and was a merely a small piece of land surrounded by water. It was because of these bluffs the appearance of the island resembled a turtle and led to it being named “The Great Turtle” (Piljac, 1998). Currently the island reaches several hundred feet above the lake and it’s because of this geography that many nations saw this as a perfect military post and would be used over and over again throughout its history as such.
Although it may be perceived that music is a free market based on the love of music, others may argue it is based on profit. In the article “U2’s double trouble,” the band Negativland proclaims that Island Record’s, U2’s record label, only concern in the lawsuit is, “to control the marketplace” (139). Negativland believes Island is trying to control what music is being made and sold. Island is so focused on profit that they are limiting the musical market.
Tabrah, Ruth M. Hawaii: A Bicentennial History. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1980.
One Hundred and One Albums that Changed Popular Music. (n.d.). Google Books. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://books.google.com/books?id=G4mP7u6mPdkC&pg=PA172#v=onepage
Roberts, Randy and Olsen, James S. 2001. A Line in the Sand. New York and London:
Kirby, Brendan. "Point Clear : Shrinking island in a sea of growth ." Mobile Press-Register 26 March 2001.
It wasn’t until 1984 that the Dutch finally took control of the island. This was following the end of the 80-year war between the Spanish and Dutch. There was a brief point in the history of the island when the English were in control (1805-1816), but this was short lived and the Dutch returned to the island in 1816(Hartog, 61).
Gorinson, Stanley M., and Kevin P. Kane. “The Accidental Three Mile Island: The Role of
1. Kasson, F. John. “Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century” New York: Hill and Wang, 1978
Do the names “Dirty Diana”, “Superstition”, and “I Heard it through the grapevine” sound familiar to you any? Well does it? These are major hit records made by well-known artists and musicians whom we know couldn’t take overnight to accomplish. Where do you think most artists started their musical journeys? Maybe it all started while in their basements banging away at tools, shelves, etc., or while sitting on the swing set in their backyards imagining how it would be to be famous, or even while just having a good ole fashion play date in their tree-houses with friends or family discussing each other’s goals and dreams.
New Kingston, a family group featuring three brothers (Stephen, Courtney Jr., and Tahir) and their father play a refreshing brand of reggae that is as authentically Jamaican as it is refreshingly unique among other U.S. reggae outfits. A Jamaican roots reggae vocal trio at their core, New Kingston displays a remarkably expansive vocal range, impressive diction (check “Conquer Dem” featuring Sister Carol), an inspiriting lack of pretense, surprisingly adept musicianship, and musical sensibilities that span many sub-genres within reggae. For three youths who grew
Bob Marley’s popularity had spread all though Jamaica. His music was always on the top of the charts and his lyrics were always on the top of Jamaican minds. Bob’s musical influence had seamed together with the political turmoil of the time, and his songs told a truthful account about everyday life living in an unsteady government. Bob Marley and his two best friends from the ghetto, Neville “Bunny” Livingston and Peter Tosh, had now become the most popular thing out of Jamaica. The Wailers had taken what every voice in Jamaica wanted to cry out over the political anarchy-taking place. The Wailer’s impact on their Jamaican culture set ablaze their popularity across America and eventually the world. Once the Wailers became nationa...
"Earth Island Journal." A Rising Ride Sinks All Islands Vol. 11. Fall 1999. 15 Jan 2005 .
There are two types of music that being broadcast most widely which are carnival music and festival music. The Caribbean music got the huge stage of being popular in the twentieth century. The American music nowadays still reflect the culture of Caribbean music in their dancing styles such as Chadracha and Listera dancing style. Not as less famous as hip-hop dancing style is the American R&B music when it became the most popular forms of the Caribbean music. The locations and conditions of weather where the free islands found their freedoms are amazing. Many visitors have been there and metaphors the place as the paradise where has an unique culture. They have the cool weather combines with the great view to the beach since they are living on the island. Their food is also special which is much different because of their fresh and internal
Ray Allen, Lois Wilcken. "Island Sounds in the Global City: Caribbean Popular Music and Identity in New York." 1-6. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 1988.