At the start of the 1970s a select group of up-and-coming record company bosses who had first made their mark during the late ‘60s were seriously challenging the supremacy of Jamaica’s established musical elite. This soon-to-be reggae royalty included such influential figures as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Harry Johnson, Bunny Lee, Winston Riley and the man whose output provides the focus for this 2CD set, Joe Gibbs.
Having already enjoyed numerous rock steady and boss reggae hits, Gibbs expanded an already impressive roster of artists to include some of the island’s most popular acts, notably The Heptones, Judy Mowatt and Dennis Alcapone.
‘Freedom To The People’ includes the very best of the producer’s output from 1971 to 1972, a period during which he further cemented his reputation as one of the most creative and successful forces on the Jamaican music scene.
Packed with an array of reggae hits alongside an equally impressive number of long-lost gems that have remained unavailable on any format for half a century, the collection is an essential addition to the collections of all self-respecting fans of vintage Jamaican sounds.
