The name, Chris Blackwell is little known outside of the music business but he was the instigator and innovator of reggae outside of Jamaica and laterally rock music. Without him it is likely that Bob Marley and his hypnotic and feelgood reggae music would have stayed in the Caribbean.
Blackwell was born in London in June 1937, the son of Joseph Blackwell, a member of the famous Crosse and Blackwell family until it was acquired by Nestle in 1960, and Blanche Balckwell, a Costa-Rican born Jamaican heiress. Soon after his birth the family moved to Jamaica but his parents divorced in 1949. Much of his early education was in Jamaica and then in Harrow, London.
His first foray into music was managing the numerous jukeboxes across the country which brought him into contact with the local musicians and community. His path in the direction of music was further reinforced following a sailing accident and near-death experience until he was rescued by a Rasta fisherman. During his lengthy recovery it gave him a deep insight into the Rastafarian lifestyle, its music and culture which was to give him the direction he was looking for.
At the age of 22, in May 1959, Blackwell set up Island Records with an investment of £10,000 from his parents. He also received an allowance of £2,000 a year from his mother, which enabled him to live a life that was unusual for someone so young back in those days. He set out recording ska as well as other popular Jamaican music and he returned to the UK in 1962 and sold records from the boot of his car to the Jamaican communities in London Birmingham and Manchester.
Island’s first release was an album by the Bermudan pianist/vocalist Lance Hayward but it was a while until he achieved his first number one hit in the Caribbean with Laurel Aitkin’s, “Boogie in My Bones” c/w “Little Sheila.”
In 1961 Blackwell was a location scout for the James Bond film Dr No and after filming Harry Saltzman offered him a full-time job. This gave Blackwell a huge dilemma and after consulting a psychic it was “suggested” that he follow his love of music. The psychic wasn’t wrong and that eventually lead to the massive success he achieved. By the following year Blackwell produced and released 26 singles and two albums on Island in the Caribbean. But he had already set his sights on the UK and what he considered to be a huge market for a more commercial style of reggae and ska in the mainstream music market.
His first success was in 1964 with a fifteen-year-old Jamaican girl, Millie Small, and he recorded a cover version of the song “My Boy Lollipop,” in the ska style that he loved. Her success launched Island Records onto the scene of mainstream popular music not only in the UK but when he made the decision to licence it to record labels around the world it was a huge hit almost everywhere.
In 1963 while in Birmingham he discovered the Spencer Davis Group and he loved the voice of Steve Winwood and signed the band to his label. It wasn’t until the following year that he recorded and released any of their recordings. Once again, a string of hits followed and he continued to work with Steve Winwood after he split for the band.
Of course, I couldn’t finish without mentioning: Bob Marley and the Wailers, who he was instrumental in carving their success with their first appearance on UK television on the Old Grey Whistle Test, and other artists whose music filled the UK airwaves, including: Cat Stevens, Grace Jones, Steve Winwood, U2, Roxy Music, B-52’s, Sparks, Robert Palmer and so many more artists, of which there are too many to mention.
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to which Blackwell was inducted in 2001, he is "the single person most responsible for turning the world on to reggae music. Variety described him as "indisputably one of the greatest record executives in history." Island is without doubt the most successful independent UK label and Blackwell sold the label in 1989. He is now managing companies across the Caribbean and beyond and he now owns “Goldeneye,” the home of Ian Fleming, the writer of the James Bond books, and other properties on the island.
This article could well run into many pages but in order to keep within the confines of publication I have edited it severely. However, the 2022 book, “The Islander” - My life in music and beyond” Chris Blackwell with Paul Morley, is well worth a read for anyone who loves music and wants to know what goes on behind the scenes.
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Chris Blackwell - The founder of Island Records
BY-------Graham Sclater
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