1970s

Soul Rebels" was the first album by Bob Marley and The Wailers to be released outside of Jamaica. It was produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry and released in December 1970.

Bob Marley and the Wailers cut the first reggae album, "Best of the Wailers" produced by Leslie Kong in 1970.

Check out this 1970 Jimmy Cliff Billboard Magazine Advertisement http://www.jamaicansmusic.com/artists/profile/Jimmy_Cliff

Winston "Niney" Holness also known as Niney The Observer was one of the most important and sought after producers in the 1970s working with the likes of Delroy Wilson, The Heptones, Johnny Clarke, Slim Smith, Jacob Miller, Junior Delgado, and Freddie McGregor to name a few. He is also well known for launching the career of reggae icon Dennis Brown.

Among Desmond Dekker’s best known releases in the 1970s was "You Can Get It If You Really Want", written by Jimmy Cliff. Dekker's version which uses the same instrumental backing track as Cliff's original, went to number two in Britain.

By the mid 1970s, the African Brothers had splintered into separate solo acts, and Sugar Minott turned to Coxsone Dodd for inspiration and professional support. In 1975 Minott recorded his first solo release, called "Wrong Doers," at Studio One. The single was issued under his given name of Lincoln Minott.

Joe Gibbs gained his first international success with "Love of the Common People" by Nicky Thomas (#9 in the UK Singles Chart in summer 1970)

In 1970 Hopeton Lewis won the Festival Song Competition with the hit song, "Boom Shaka-Laka" on the Treasure Isles Label.

When Junior Byles (King Chubby) left The Versatiles in 1970 he recorded his first solo single for Lee Scratch Perry entitled 'What's the World Coming To?'

The Melodians recorded their biggest hit, "Rivers of Babylon" (1970) for Leslie Kong. This song became an anthem of the Rastafarian movement, and was featured on the soundtrack for the movie, The Harder They Come. It was later covered by Boney M in 1978.

In 1970, Jackie Mittoo's song "Peanie Wallie" was versioned by The Wailers, becoming the hit "Duppy Conqueror"

“Psalms of Dub,” originally “Not Responsible” by Carlton Patterson and Leroy Brown, is rumored to the be the first dub track King Tubby (founder of Dub music) ever released in 1971.

Eric Donaldson's 1971 hit 'Cherry Oh Baby' was famously covered by The Rolling Stones. It appears on their 1976 Black and Blue album

Barry Biggs saw his first Jamaican chart hit with 'One Bad Apple' a track recorded at Lee's Dynamic Sound studio in 1971

In 1971 Delroy Wilson released one of his most popular songs "Cool Operator" which later became his alias.

In the spring of 1971, 'Double Barrel' by Dave (Barker) & Ansel Collins gave the company their first British number one.

Eric Donaldson has won the Jamaican Festival Song Competition six times, in 1971, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1993 and 1997. His winning 1971 entry, "Cherry Oh Baby", launched him into the limelight. The song is rated among Jamaican music classics.

Ernie Smith's 1972 hit "Pitta Patta"produced by Richard Khouri at Federal which based Lee "Scratch" Perry's based his "Musical Transplant" rhythm, was voted the best song of the year in Swing magazine.

In 1972, Ernie Smith won the World Popular Song Festival also called the Yamaha Music Festival in Japan with "Life Is Just For Living", a song originally written for a Red Stripe Beer commercial.

Jimmy Cliff stars in 'The Harder They Come' (1972). one of the first truly successful films to come out of Jamaica.