Harry J

:"This article is about a reggae producer for other names see Harry Johnson (disambiguation)"

Harry Johnson (known as Harry J, born circa 1945, Kingston) is a Jamaican reggae record producer. He ran a record label, also called Harry J.

Career

Mostly known for his "Harry J Studio" where Bob Marley & The Wailers recorded many of their albums in the 1970s, Johnson is also an important record producer who met success during the early reggae era.

Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player, but soon quit to work as an insurance salesman. He first appeared as a record producer in 1968, when he launched his own record label, "Harry J", by releasing The Beltones' local hit "No More Heartaches", considered by many to be the very first reggae song ever recorded, along with the Studio One single "Nanny Goat" by Larry & Alvin. His agreement with Coxsone Dodd allowed him to use Studio One's facilities, where he produced the hit "Cuss Cuss" with singer Lloyd Robinson, which became one of the most covered riddim in Jamaica.

In October 1969, he met success in the UK with "The Liquidator" (number 9 in the UK Singles Chart) recorded with his session band, The Harry J All Stars. This single became one of the anthems of the emerging skinhead youth subculture; together with other instrumental hits released in the UK through his own subdivision "Harry J" on Trojan Records, on a compilation album of the same name (see cover).

In the beginning of the 1970s, (apart from other UK compilations of his own Jamaican productions, including songs by The Cables, Tony Scott, Busty Brown, Val Bennett etc.), he enjoyed another big success with the vocal duo Bob & Marcia. They were Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths with the song "Young, Gifted and Black". His productions also included Jamaican hits with DJs like Winston Blake or Scotty among others, and many dub versions.

Harry J Studio

In 1972, Harry Johnson sold his record shop and set up his own recording studio "Harry J", on 10 Roosevelt Avenue, Uptown Kingston. Harry J Studio soon became one of the most famous Jamaican studios after having recorded several Bob Marley & The Wailers albums from 1973 to 1976 before the Tuff Gong era; such as "Rastaman Vibration" and "Catch A Fire".

Johnson's deal with Island Records led him to record artists such as Burning Spear and The Heptones. Throughout the 1970s and the 1980s, backed by former Studio One sound engineer Sylvan Morris, he also recorded artists like Ken Boothe, Augustus Pablo, The Cables and the American pop singer, Johnny Nash, and produced albums by Zap Pow and Sheila Hylton. In 2002, after seven years of inactivity, he reopened his Harry J studio and since has recorded people like Burning Spear. The studio appears in the movie, "Rockers".

Discography

Harry J Allstars

* Harry J Allstars - "The Liquidator" - 1969 - Harry J/Trojan
* Harry J Allstars - "Liquidator: The Best Of Harry J Allstars" - 2003 - Trojan
*Harry J Allstars - "Dubbing At Harry J's 1972-1975" - Jamaican Recordings

Compilations

*Various Artists - "Reggae Movement" - 1970 - Harry J/Trojan
*Various Artists - "What Am I To Do" - 1970 - Harry J/Trojan
*Various Artists - "Reggay Roots" - 1977 - Harry J
*Various Artists - "Computer" - 1985 - Sunset
*Various Artists - "The Return Of the Liquidator: 30 Skinhead Classics 1968-1970" - 1989 - Trojan - 2 CD

As a producer

*Sylvan Morris & Harry J - "Cultural Dub" - 1978 - Harry J
*Sylvan Morris - "Jah Jah Dub" - Roosevelt
*The Heptones - "Book Of Rules" - 1973 - Jaywax
*The Heptones - "Cool Rasta" - 1976 - Trojan
*Leslie Butler - "Ja-Gan" - 1975 - Trojan
*Zap Pow - "Revolution" - 1976 - Trojan
*Lloyd Willis - "Gits Plays Bob Marley's Greatest Hits" - 1977 - Harry J
*The Melodians - "Sweet Sensation" - 1977 - Harry J
*Dennis Brown - "So Long Rastafari" - 1979 - Harry J

See also

*List of Jamaican record producers