Coxsone Dodd

Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd was a sound-system operator turned producer who founded Studio One, shaping ska, rocksteady, and early reggae through thousands of releases and the house band that became the Skatalites.

Why it matters: Coxsone's business model — owning studio, label, and sound — set the template for Jamaican music entrepreneurship. His catalogue decisions still influence reissue markets and scholarly debates about authorship.