ABOUT THIS ITEM

Coxsone Dodd and Studio One's connection to Rastafarianism had begun long before the arrival of roots music as a distinct genre within reggae at the very tail end of the 1960s. At the start of the decade Dodd was already making his way to Count Ossie's Wareika Hills Rastafarian compound to hear nyahbingi drummers play whilst the Skatalites' front-line horns – Tommy McCook, Don Drummond, Johnny Moore would jam alongside. Inspired by this sound he began releasing cuts with a roots feel, featuring the best house bands of the era – the Sound Dimension, the Soul Defenders or the Brentford Road All-Stars. This third part of Soul Jazz's "Studio One Roots" compilation series features classic foundation artists alongside some seriously rare tracks from the label. With Clement Dodd's seriously high quality control ever present, these tracks are all a healthy addition to the pantheon of roots music at Studio One.