Derrick Morgan – Derrick Morgan and His Friends:

Description

In the early 1960s, when the Jamaican recording industry was still very much in its infancy, the local music scene was dominated by a mere handful of performers. Among these musical pioneers was Derrick Morgan. A year after the launch of the islands records label (1967), they released the Derrick Morgan And Friends LP, which has since become a highly prized collector’s item. Recorded at Jamaica’s premier recording studio, WIRL, and featuring the musicianship of leading session crews, the Carib Beats and Lyn Taitt & the Jets, the quality of the tracks remains consistently high. Morgan is one of Reggae’s real unsung heroes and this compilation makes it all the more compelling.
The rocksteady era that dominated Jamaica’s musical landscape between late-1966 and mid-1968 is today widely acknowledged as the most influential period in the island’s history. Not only did the sound lay the foundations upon which reggae subsequently developed, its structure favoured small combos rather than the large ensembles that dominated the ska years, resulting in significantly reduced recording costs. The development provided cash-strapped music makers with the opportunity to make records and one who took full advantage was enterprising local singing sensation, Derrick Morgan.