Island Records Turns 50

The name Chris Blackwell doesn’t really resonate with most of the music community. It’s an odd thing as well, considering that the label that he founded – Island Records – in 1959 has counted amongst its acts the largest selling reggae artist of all time as well as a little band you may be familiar with called U2. And regardless of what you think of that latter act, the manner in which Island has spread Jamaican music and culture is really the reason that the music is an international sound at this point instead of being cloistered on that island.

Blackwell, being born to an Irish father and a mother of Jewish descent, was raised for a time in Costa Rica of all places and somehow found himself being reared in Jamaica. At some point during his youth, Blackwell was sent to study in England. But upon figuring that college wasn’t a pursuit that particularly interested him at the time, returned to Jamaica.

As a beginning to what would become Island, Blackwell shuttled singles from island to island, hocking them himself to transplanted Jamaicans in England. His ability to identify talent, though, led to him record “My Boy Lollipop,” with an unknown teenager in 1964. And it was with this disc that laid the foundation for the label.

Having made a few bucks, to say the least, off of that disc, Blackwell delved into other musics releasing work from prog acts as well as a good deal of folk music like the doomed Nick Drake. Some of the work from the first few decades of the label are now considered cornerstones of various genres.

But perhaps his most enduring legacy came in relation to a band called the Wailers. As a functioning unit, the vocal trio was backed by various stalwarts from the Jamaican musical community to good effect. But in a group setting, Blackwell perceived the band to be lacking a commercial edge or viability. Of course in Jamaica, that wasn’t exactly the case, but the Wailers, before Blackwell’s tinkering weren’t internationally known.

The trio Marley, Tosh and Wailer, were figured to need some sort of hierarchical structure, thus prompting the record mogul to push Marley out front. It worked and made everyone a star, but also created a sort of power vacuum that would eventually lead to Tosh and Wailer leaving the group, recording solo dates for Island and attaining a moderate amount of fame for themselves. Even if Blackwell hadn’t taken this step, the Wailers legacy would have been assured – and probably Island Records as well.

Blackwell, though, is still associated with the company that now runs Island, but in a much different role. Currently, he’s been charged with developing real estate in Jamaica. But as long as he’s where he wants – and who wouldn’t want to live in Jamaica on various resort sites – we can say that Blackwell’s achieved all that he could have hoped for.

In subsequent years, though, Island Records’ changed hands and is currently functioning under the auspices of the Universal Music Group. But regardless of who runs the show, 2009 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the label. And as the year pushes on, numerous events to commemorate the occasion are planned.