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Chris Blackwell

Chris Blackwell
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Percy Gordon Blackwell
Born (1937-06-22) 22 June 1937 (age 86)
Westminster, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Record producer
Years active1959–present
Websiteislandoutpost.com

Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell OJ (born 22 June 1937)[1] is a Jamaican-British former record producer and the founder of Island Records,[2] which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels."[3] According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to which Blackwell was inducted in 2001, he is "the single person most responsible for turning the world on to reggae music."[4] Variety describes him as "indisputably one of the greatest record executives in history," while Barron's has described him as "a contender for most interesting man in the world."[5][6]

Having formed Island Records in Jamaica on 22 May 1959 when he was nearly 22, Blackwell was among the first to record the Jamaican popular music that eventually became known as ska.[2] Returning to Britain in 1962, he sold records from the back of his car to the Jamaican community.[3] His label became "a byword for uncompromised artistry and era-shaping acts."[7]

Backed by Stanley Borden from RKO, Blackwell's business and reach grew substantially, and he went on to forge the careers of Bob Marley, Grace Jones and U2 among many other diverse high-profile acts.[2] He has produced many seminal albums, including Marley's Catch A Fire and Uprising,[8] Free's Free and The B-52's' self-titled debut album in 1979.

Having sold Island in 1989, Blackwell embarked on ventures in "hotels, real estate, resorts, another record company, rum, and his Island Films released Kiss of the Spider Woman and Stop Making Sense, among others."[5] In 2022, he published a memoir, The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond.[9][10]

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 258/9. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ a b c Farber, Jim (6 June 2022). "Island Records founder Chris Blackwell: 'I'm interested in what's different'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference tele was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference rock was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Aswad, Jem (8 June 2022). "Island Records Founder Chris Blackwell Talks Bob Marley, U2, and His Fascinating Memoir, 'The Islander'". Variety. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  6. ^ Kahle, Laurie. "Worldwise: Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Chris Blackwell's Favorite Things". Barron's.
  7. ^ Spencer, Neil (12 June 2022). "The Islander by Chris Blackwell review – maverick who brought Bob Marley to the masses". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  8. ^ Hagerman, Brent (February 2005). "Chris Blackwell: Savvy Svengali". Exclaim.ca. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  9. ^ Sisario, Ben (9 June 2022). "Chris Blackwell Is Music's Quietest "Record Man." His Artists Speak Loudly". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  10. ^ Gross, Terry (8 June 2022). "Island Records founder Chris Blackwell looks back on his life in music". npr.org. Fresh Air, NPR. Retrieved 16 June 2022.

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