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King Tubby
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King Tubby

Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub music in the 1960s and 1970s.

Tubby's studio work, in which as a mixing engineer he achieved creative fame previously only reserved for composers and musicians, was influential across many genres of popular music. He is often cited as the inventor of the concept of the remix that later became ubiquitous in dance and electronic music production. Singer Mikey Dread stated, "King Tubby truly understood sound in a scientific sense. He knew how the circuits worked and what the electrons did. That's why he could do what he did".

Career

In the late 1950s, Jamaican sound systems were becoming popular in Kingston and were developing into enterprising businesses. A radio repairman, Tubby found frequent work for the sound systems, as the tropical weather of the Caribbean island (often combined with sabotage by rival sound system owners) led to malfunctions and equipment failure. Tubby owned an electrical repair shop on Drumalie Avenue, Kingston, that fixed televisions and radios. He built large amplifiers for the local sound systems. Tubby...

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Albums

Dub Too Much (Volume 3)

12 tracks · 2023

Look What You Dubbing (Volume 2)

12 tracks · 2021

Lost Dub From The Vault

10 tracks · 2019

Ghetto Dub

10 tracks · 2018

Concrete Jungle Dub

9 tracks · 2018

The Aggrovators V King Tubby

16 tracks · 2017

Psalm of the Time Dub

12 tracks · 2013

First Prophet Of Dub

17 tracks · 2009

Bring the Dub Come

13 tracks · 2003

Reggae Rasta Dub

4 tracks · 2002

The Dub Organiser

2 tracks · 2002

Foundation of Dub

1 tracks · 2001

Fatman Tapes II

7 tracks · 2000

I Admire You in Dub

6 tracks · 2000

The Black Foundation in Dub

1 tracks · 2000

The Fatman Tapes

9 tracks · 1999

Original King Key Dub

2 tracks · 1999

The Dub Master, Volume 1

2 tracks · 1999

Dub From the Roots

13 tracks · 1997

King Tubby's Meets Scientist at Dub Station

12 tracks · 1996

King Tubby's Meets Scientist in a World of Dub

5 tracks · 1996

Bionic Dub

1 tracks · 1995

Laser Rock

11 tracks · 1992

Roots Dub

5 tracks · 1992

Unleashed Dub Volume 1 From King Tubby's Studio

11 tracks · 1991

Brass Rockers

1 tracks · 1991

Controls

13 tracks · 1990

Two Big Bull in a One Pen Dubwise

9 tracks · 1986

Sly and Robbie Meet King Tubby

1 tracks · 1984

Majestic Dub

10 tracks · 1983

King Tubby The Dub Master With The Waterhouse Possie

3 tracks · 1983

His Majesty's Dub with Prince Jammy

1 tracks · 1983

Dubbing in the Back Yard

9 tracks · 1982

Dangerous Dub

9 tracks · 1981

King at the Control

9 tracks · 1981

Upset the Upsetters

8 tracks · 1976

Dub Basket Chapter II - A King Tubby's Mix

1 tracks · 1976

Shalom Dub

16 tracks · 1975

Dubbing With the Observer

12 tracks · 1975

The Roots of Dub

10 tracks · 1975

The Originator

17 tracks

Dub Conference

17 tracks

Dance Hall Style Dub

9 tracks

Water Dub

5 tracks

Most played

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Riddims King Tubby voiced

Riddim Guide →

Sleng Teng Riddim

23 versions · 2013

Shank I Sheck Riddim

21 versions · 1981 · Greensleeves

Heavenless Riddim

20 versions · versions from 1983

Full Up Riddim

16 versions · 1994 · VP Records

A Love I Can Feel Riddim

15 versions · 1977

Lecturer Riddim

13 versions · 2011

Freedom Blues Riddim

13 versions · 1976

Bobby Babylon Riddim

9 versions · 1986

Songs on JamaicansMusic

363 playable tracks in the catalog.

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From the archive

Career timeline

Stories about King Tubby from the JamaicansMusic archive, oldest first · 2013–2026

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  1. 2013

    Music

    New school meets old school; when Masicka met King Tubby

    You hardly see young, up and coming, artistes stepping out their comfort zone as they expand and showcase their creative mind's eye, but Masicka plans to break all normalities within the musical playfield with his latest EP.

  2. 2026

    Music

    Seven Jamaican Albums on Rolling Stone's 76 Best Albums of 1976 — Dub at No. 5

    Rolling Stone's countdown of 1976, published 11 October 2026, places seven Jamaican LPs among the year's finest — led at No. 5 by Augustus Pablo and King Tubby's dub set King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown. Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Lee Perry, Max Romeo and Burning Spear also feature. Jamaica Observer and DancehallMag picked up the story; positions below follow Rolling Stone's list data.

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