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'''Tom the Great Sebastian''' was an early [[Jamaica]]n [[Sound system (Jamaican)|sound system]] started by Tom Wong in 1950.<ref name="salewicz"/> It was named for a trapeze performer<ref name="brewster"/> in [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus|Barnum and Bailey]]'s circus.<ref name="locilento">{{cite book|last=Locilento|first=Micah|title=Shaggy: Doggamuffin Style|year=2002|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=9781550225235|pages=49|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QOwjjNycsWkC&pg=PA49}}</ref> They have been called "the all-time giant of sound systems."<ref name="salewicz">{{cite book|last=Salewicz|first=Chris|title=Bob Marley: The Untold Story|year=2010|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=9780865479999|pages=53-54|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KOtXnXkFS2QC&pg=PA54}}</ref> and helped launch notable artists. |
'''Tom the Great Sebastian''' was an early [[Jamaica]]n [[Sound system (Jamaican)|sound system]] started by Tom Wong in 1950.<ref name="salewicz"/> It was named for a trapeze performer<ref name="brewster"/> in [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus|Barnum and Bailey]]'s circus.<ref name="locilento">{{cite book|last=Locilento|first=Micah|title=Shaggy: Doggamuffin Style|year=2002|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=9781550225235|pages=49|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QOwjjNycsWkC&pg=PA49}}</ref> They have been called "the all-time giant of sound systems."<ref name="salewicz">{{cite book|last=Salewicz|first=Chris|title=Bob Marley: The Untold Story|year=2010|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=9780865479999|pages=53-54|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KOtXnXkFS2QC&pg=PA54}}</ref> and helped launch notable artists. [[Count Matchuki]] is generally credited as Tom's first [[deejay]],<ref name="locilento"/> before he joined [[Coxsone Dodd]], [[Duke Vin]] was one of Tom's [[Selector (disc jockey)|selectors]].<ref name="locilento"/>. They{{who}} were also backed by [[Prince Buster]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Katz|first=David|title=Solid foundation: an oral history of reggae|year=2003|publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=9781582341439|pages=12|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LcTgyjJ3OXoC&pg=PA12}}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 15:11, 30 November 2010
Tom the Great Sebastian was an early Jamaican sound system started by Tom Wong in 1950.[1] It was named for a trapeze performer[2] in Barnum and Bailey's circus.[3] They have been called "the all-time giant of sound systems."[1] and helped launch notable artists. Count Matchuki is generally credited as Tom's first deejay,[3] before he joined Coxsone Dodd, Duke Vin was one of Tom's selectors.[3]. They[who?] were also backed by Prince Buster.[4]
History
Tom Wong, half Chinese-American and half Jamaican,[5] owned a hardware store where he played music and got started in the music business by taking his equipment out to parties. He was "widely regarded as the leading sound system of his day," and helped popularize dancehall music and sound system dance, aided in no small part by powerful amplifiers built by fellow DJ Hedley Jones.[6] In addition to the equipment, his musical selections (many imported directly from the United States) and his originality as a DJ have been credited for his success.[1]
Tom played rhythm and blues loved by the "ghetto folk" and music intended to attract a more upper-class audience, such as merengue and calypso.[7] There are rumors that Duke Reid, a competing sound system operator who started four years after Tom and is credited with bringing gangland-style tactics to dancehall,[8] drove Tom out of the downtown area of Kingston using ruffians from the Brick-O-Wall slum, but Duke Vin insists that Duke and Tom were friends and that Duke's followers never bothered Tom. The closest they came to a sound clash was a set of competing parties in adjacent yards; they never went head-to-head.[7] Tom did, however, move away from the violence of the downtown area[8] to the Silver Slipper club in the more upscale Cross Roads area,[7] a move which did not harm him financially.[9]
Tom the Great Sebastian was the most popular of the first generation of sound systems until the mid 1950s when the "big three" of sound systems rose to popularity: Coxsone Dodd's Downbeat, Duke Reid's The Trojans, and King Edward's Giant.[2] Tom Wong committed suicide in 1971.[5] After his death, the sound system was continued by Lou Gooden, who changed its name to Metromedia, after a record label.[10]
References
- ^ a b c Salewicz, Chris (2010). Bob Marley: The Untold Story. Macmillan. pp. 53–54. ISBN 9780865479999.
- ^ a b Brewster, Bill (2000). Last night a dj saved my life: the history of the disc jockey. Grove Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780802136886. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Locilento, Micah (2002). Shaggy: Doggamuffin Style. ECW Press. p. 49. ISBN 9781550225235.
- ^ Katz, David (2003). Solid foundation: an oral history of reggae. Bloomsbury. p. 12. ISBN 9781582341439.
- ^ a b Augustyn, Heather (2010). Ska: An Oral History. McFarland. p. 24. ISBN 9780786460403.
- ^ Stolzoff, Norman C. (Duke UP). Wake the town & tell the people: dancehall culture in Jamaica. Duke UP. pp. 42–43. ISBN 9780822325147.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help) - ^ a b c Katz, David (2003). Solid foundation: an oral history of reggae. Bloomsbury. pp. 7–8. ISBN 9781582341439.
- ^ a b Salewicz, Chris (2001). Reggae explosion: the story of Jamaican music. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 9780810937895.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Bradley, Lloyd (2001). This is reggae music: the story of Jamaica's music. Grove Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN 9780802138286.
- ^ Henry, Krista (11 November 2007). "'Metro' plays year to year". Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 30 November 2010.