January 26, 1932 – May 5, 2004
Born Clement Seymour Dodd in Kingston, he earned the nickname “Coxsone” after a Yorkshire, England Cricketer, while attending All Saints School in West Kingston. He was considered a good cricket all-rounder.
He started the sound system in the early 50s relying on his imported originals to outplay his competitors. He opened his studio at Brentford Road in 1963 and since then the name, Studio One, has become synonymous worldwide with the best of early Jamaican pop rhythms – ska, rocksteady and reggae.
Personalities that were involved with Studio One were like a ‘who’s who’ in Reggae. The Studio that became one of the genesis of Reggae Music worked with top names including The Heptones, Marcia Griffiths, Sugar Minott and just about everybody else. Dodd is probably best known outside Jamaica for bringing Bob Marley and the Wailer to national attention and producing some of their most memorable hits, including the international peace anthem, “One Love.”
Hits include:
- John Holt – “A Love I Can Feel”
- Alton Ellis – “Can I Change My Mind”
- Ken Boothe – “Just Another Guy”
- Lone Ranger – “The Answer”
- Sugar Minott – “Oh Mr DC”
- …and countless others