Trojan Records

For many here in America, Desmond Dekker and the Aces' "Israelites" was their first encounter with reggae. Dekker sprang onto the charts in 1969, before Bob Marley became the music's international face. Alas, "Israelites" was a novelty hit, and reggae wouldn't make an impact on the U.S. charts until after the movie The Harder They Come was released in the '70s. (A note to wanna-be rock historians: When UB40 covered "Red Red Wine," it was the Tony Tribe arrangement of the Neil Diamond song they were updating.)

Two artists whose stardom in Jamaica was never equaled in the States are represented here by a couple of tracks each: rocksteady singer Ken Boothe and the late, prolific Dennis Brown, whose first local success came at age 11. Also, check out Nora Dean and the late Phyllis Dillon, two of reggae's few female stars. At the height of Trojan's production, the label was putting out ten singles a week! No wonder there's such a wealth from which to choose.

The Upsetters — producer Lee Perry's version of classic "studio band" Booker T. & the M.G.'s — appeared on many of reggae's early classics, as well on their own records, with a trademark swampy sound. The Heptones, whose rocksteady harmony vocal sound morphed as reggae grew in popularity, are also definitely worth checking out. And if there was any question about where the radio dials in Jamaica were set, listen to Ken Boothe's cover of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and the Chosen Few's skanked-up version of Isaac Hayes' "Theme From 'Shaft.'"

For many U.S. listeners, reggae not only begins and ends with Island Records; it begins and ends with Bob Marley. Pity. You may not know ragga from rocksteady, dub from dancehall, but if you dig into the storied history of Trojan Records, you'll get a mighty helping of them all. Originally an offshoot of Chris Blackwell's Island label, Trojan began in 1968 as a venue for producer Duke Reid, whose Trojan mobile sound system trucks featured a centurion helmet logo emblazoned on their sides. Specializing in rocksteady, ska, dub, and reggae releases, and numbering among its artists Bob Marley and Desmond Dekker (as well as many others who never made the commercial jump here from Jamaica), Trojan's catalog offers an unparalleled insight into island culture during reggae's formative years.