“King Tubby’s music career began in the 1950s with the rising popularity of Jamaican sound systems, which were to be found all over Kingston and which were developing into enterprising businesses. As a talented radio repairman, Tubby soon found himself in great demand by most of the major sound systems of Kingston, as the tropical weather of the Caribbean island, (often combined with sabotage by rival sound system owners) led to malfunctions and equipment failure. Tubby owned an electrical repair shop on Drumalie Avenue, Kingston, that fixed televisions and radios. It was here that he built large amplifiers for the local sound systems. In 1961/62 he built his own radio transmitter and briefly ran a private radio station playing ska and rhythm and blues which he soon shut down when he heard that the police were looking for the perpetrators. Tubby would eventually form his own sound system, Tubby’s Hometown Hi-Fi, in 1958. It became a crowd favourite due to the high quality sound of his equipment, exclusive releases and Tubby’s own echo and reverb sound effects, at that point something of a novelty.”
YouTube: King Tubby Prince Jammy & Scientist
NY Times: RINGING CHANGES ON JAMAICAN REGGAE (April 26, 1981)
Tag: King Tubby
King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown – Augustus Pablo / King Tubby (1976)
“England has a way with myths. Since the dawn of the popular music era, the English have stolen their music from their colonies and then written the history books to say they invented it. They don’t exactly call it ‘The British Invasion’ over there. Truth be told, whether it was an American, an Indian, or a Jamaican—if you were English and played any instrument except the lute, anytime after 1950, somebody who used to make your sugar had been there first. In most cases, the play-by-play of who stole what is fairly apparent. The Rolling Stones nicked from Howlin’ Wolf. The Who from Chuck Berry. The Beatles ripped off Ravi Shankar, and the Police basically kept Jamaica as a musical banana republic. The end. But one story of theft—or tribute—that runs a little more below the surface is that of ‘King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown’ the dub reggae single by Augustus Pablo and King Tubby that may have accidentally reinvented punk. Without ‘King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown’ there would be no post-punk. …”
Dusting Em Off: Augustus Pablo – King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
W – King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
Discogs
YouTube: King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown [full album] 48:25
Punk Scrawled Artist 