Linval Thompson

With the release of Blood and Fire's Ride on Dreadlocks and the reissues of his catalog of classic roots material, Linval Thompson's reputation as one of the finest reggae singers from the roots-renaissance was rightfully assured. A prolific producer whose credits include Dennis Brown, the Wailing Souls, Eek-A-Mouse, Freddie McGregor, and the Viceroys, among others, Thompson has also released a number of his own vocal (and dub) albums through independent labels and his own imprints. Linval Thompson's musical gifts were recognized early in his life when he began writing songs as a teenager. He made his first recording while living with his mother in New York. The composition "There Is No Other Woman" was a collaboration with future Third World guitarist Bunny Ruggs. Returning to Kingston, Thompson began working at Lee "Scratch" Perry's legendary Black Ark studios under producer Phil Pratt: subsequently contributing to the Upsetter classic "Kung Fu Man." Though early connections like this, and a brief stint with Augustus Pablo's Rockers imprint, were invaluable, Thompson's greatest success came when he established himself as a producer. Following his 1975 Bunny Lee-engineered debut, Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks (released as Cool Down in the U.S.), Thompson and new assistant Henry "Junjo" Lawes produced the singer's I Love Marijuana in 1978. Recorded at the famous Channel 1 studio, Thompson was backed by a rhythm section of Rockers' drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace and the Wailers' bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett. The success of I Love Marijuana attracted many singers in search of Thompson's sound. While the artists he produced throughout the late '70s and early '80s failed to achieve the same degree of commercial success, albums from Mystic Eyes and DJs Big Joe and...