Jon Baker (producer): Difference between revisions
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==Early Life== |
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In the early 1980s Baker moved to New York and worked with Ruza Blue, a British expat and music promoter. The two started a hip hop night at NYC’s Club Negril. When Negril proved too small a venue, the two promoted a Friday night hip hop party at [[Roxy_NYC|The Roxy]]. During this era, Baker also ran Jon Baker Productions, a booking agency. |
In the early 1980s Baker moved to New York and worked with Ruza Blue, a British expat and music promoter. The two started a hip hop night at NYC’s Club Negril. When Negril proved too small a venue, the two promoted a Friday night hip hop party at [[Roxy_NYC|The Roxy]]. During this era, Baker also ran Jon Baker Productions, a booking agency . April 4 1983, p. 35</ref> |
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==Gee Street Records, 1985-1990== |
==Gee Street Records, 1985-1990== |
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Revision as of 22:17, 28 January 2011
Jon Baker music industry. ==Early Life==
Baker was born in 1960. His father was a car dealer and his mother the designer at British fashion firm Susan Small
In the early 1980s Baker moved to New York and worked with Ruza Blue, a British expat and music promoter. The two started a hip hop night at NYC’s Club Negril. When Negril proved too small a venue, the two promoted a Friday night hip hop party at The Roxy. During this era, Baker also ran Jon Baker Productions, a booking agency . April 4 1983, p. 35</ref>
Gee Street Records, 1985-1990
Baker’s returned to London in 1984. In 1985, Baker organized Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s first UK tour he established Gee Street Records.[1][2] Among the artists Gee Street signed were Jon King/King Butcher, Funtopia, The Jungle Brothers and PM Dawn.
Gee Street’s first release Straight Out of the Jungle by the Jungle Brothers; its single “I’ll House You” went top 5 in the UK national charts.[3] 1988, he signed the Stereo MCs to a licensing deal with Island Records. In 1989, he brought PM Dawn to England to record.[4]
Island Records 1991–1997 / V2 1997–2000
In 1990, Chris Blackwell signed PM Dawn, and proposed a joint venture with Island/Polygram that secured Gee Street’s roster for Island. [5] Back in the US, Baker became A&R on the Island records team and head of Blackwell’s newly-formed Island Jamaica label for North America, which included Luciano, Chaka Demus and Pliars and Beenie Man among others. In 1996, Blackwell left Island and the Polygram group. With this, Baker bought Gee Street and resold 75% of it to Richard Branson. In the deal, Baker retained control of Gee Street’s marketing, promotion and A&R, while Branson made Gee Street the cornerstone of V2 Records in North America and named Baker co-President.[6]
Geejam, 2000s
Baker sold his shares of Gee Street to Richard Branson in 2000.[7] In 2002 he moved to Jamaica, became a Jamaican citizen. That year, he also produced the album Adelante, featuring Kymani Marley, Alberto D’Ascola (aka Alborosie)[8] In 2004, Baker produced Two Culture Clash in collaboration with producer Mark Jones in the UK.[9] In 2006, Baker worked with Steve Beaver of the Hong Kong-based Beaver Music on the Singerz Collection album series through Universal Japan; it featured contemporary songs interpreted in a reggae style. Later that year, however, Baker and Beaver went into partnership and agreed to develop Geejam hotel.[10] Geejam artists including Gorillaz, No Doubt, India.Arie, Dru Hill, Godwana, Les Nubians, Wyclef Jean and Björk.[11][12] Geejam opened to the general public in 2008 and is part of the Island Outpost brand. [13][14][15][16][17] Since 2008, Geejam has been rated Jamaica’s number one hotel by travel review website TripAdvisor.com in March 2010.[18] Over this time, Drake, Santigold, Major Lazer and Amy Winehouse have all worked on recording projects there.[19][20] The Geejam Group’s most recent project involved the Jamaican mento band The Jolly Boys. Their album Great Expectation was released in the UK on September 13 anEurope.[21][22][23][24]
References
- ^ Larkin, Colin. (1995) Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. p. 1617.
- ^ http://www.somanyrecordssolittletime.com/?cat=1047
- ^ Jackson, Bill. (1996). "The Jungle Brothers" in Vibe. Vol 4, no. 6, pp. 85-6.
- ^ Bynoe, Yvonne. (2006). Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip-Hop Culture. "Slick Rick." Greenwood Press, pp. 311-312.
- ^ Romanowski, Patricia, Holly George-Warren, Jon Pareles. (1995). The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Fireside Press, p. 774.
- ^ Larkin, Colin. (1987). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music. "Gee Street Records." p. 134
- ^ Billboard. (1999). "Newsline." November 20, p. 102.
- ^ Billboard. (2002). "Artists Mix Work And Play At Geejam Studios in Jamaica." May 25, p. 45
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A2915642/
- ^ http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080402/ent/ent1.html
- ^ http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20001222/show/show1.html
- ^ Read, Michael. (2006.) Jamaica. Lonely Planet, p. 129.
- ^ d'Arcy, Susan. (2009) "Cut a Record in Jamaica," The Sunday Times (UK), Travel Section. June 21.
- ^ Condé Nast Traveller. (2009) "The Red Hot List 2009. Our Choice of the World's Best New Hotels." May.
- ^ Harper's Bazaar. (2009) "Travel Guide 2009: The World's Most Glamourous Hotels, Hideaways, Villas and Lodges." January, p. 58.
- ^ Travel + Leisure. (2009) it list: The T+L Editors' Choice Awards 2009. June, p. 146.
- ^ Vanity Fair. (2008) "Island Jam" July, p. 28.
- ^ http://www.tripadvisor.com
- ^ http://www.socialstereotype.com/_/Interviews/Entries/2008/5/18_DIPLO_%26_SWITCH.html
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/t-magazine/26remix-jamaica-t.html
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/665c
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/7903203/The-Jolly-Boys-sound-that-rocked-Jamaica-and-Errol-Flynn.html
- ^ http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/120327-the-jolly-boys-cover-amy-winehouse-on-single-off-new-album.html
- ^ http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/One-jolly-set-of-boys