Few figures in Jamaican music embody the bridge between the golden age of roots reggae and the daybreak of dancehall fairly like Linval Thompson. Singer, songwriter, and producer, Thompson’s profession spans over 5 many years—an unbroken thread of rhythm, spirituality, and artistic independence that has formed generations of reggae artists.
New York Beginnings
Born Linval Alphanso Thompson on October 12, 1954 in Kingston, Jamaica, he spent his early years immersed within the island’s vibrant musical ambiance earlier than migrating to New York Metropolis as a young person to hitch his mother and father. Life in the US provided him his first actual publicity to recording studios and the chances of a musical profession. Whereas attending highschool, Thompson started writing his first songs and later studied engineering, although music remained his true calling he advised Nathan Bush from AllMusic.
“I take slightly cash from my mom… went to the studio and recorded ‘There Is No Different Lady’,” he recalled in a 2019 interview at Reggae College throughout Rototom Sunsplash. The music—written, produced, and sung by Thompson himself with the Buccaneers Band in Brooklyn—grew to become his debut single, a uncommon achievement for a self-managed Jamaican artist overseas. “I write the music, produce the music, and sing the music,” he mirrored within the 2024 documentary Linval Thompson – Retrospective, describing it because the second he first established his id as an artist.
The monitor’s modest success led to additional recordings for the New York-based Mart’s label, together with “Weeping and Wailing,” “Jah Jah Deh,” and “Good Gracious Lady.” These early songs revealed a younger songwriter discovering his voice whereas drawing inspiration from artists like Dennis Brown, whom he would later go on to provide. “Dennis Brown was my singer—and nonetheless is,” Thompson advised Reggae College.
Return to Jamaica
In 1974, Thompson returned to Kingston, decided to determine himself in Jamaica’s fiercely aggressive music scene. His persistence led to a gathering with Keith “Stamma” Hobson, an affiliate of Keith Hudson, who gave him his first Jamaican recording alternative. The monitor “Mama Say” didn’t make waves, however its follow-up “Westbound Airplane”—a transforming of Dennis Brown’s “Westbound Practice”—earned him consideration for his distinctive phrasing and lyrical sincerity.
Quickly after, Phil Pratt launched Thompson to Lee “Scratch” Perry, who was then recording on the legendary Black Ark Studio. There he recorded “Jah Jah” and “Girlie Received to Run,” and later “Kung Fu Man,” which featured Perry’s distinctive experimental manufacturing. “Scratch had a two-track machine… concord on one, bass on one, my voice on one. Every little thing go on one monitor,” Thompson recalled. “It was very primary, but it surely made magic.”
The interval additionally noticed him briefly work with Augustus Pablo, chopping tracks akin to “Natty Dread a Strain Them,” which additional cemented his fame as one of many younger singers defining the roots renaissance.
Bunny Lee and the Dreadlocks Anthem
By 1975, Thompson had joined forces with the prolific producer Bunny “Striker” Lee. Their first collaboration, “Don’t Reduce Off Your Dreadlocks,” grew to become a landmark single of the roots reggae period. The monitor, which appeared on his debut album of the identical identify (engineered by Lee and launched within the U.S. as Cool Down), was among the many earliest to brazenly have fun Rastafarian id.
“I don’t hear no artist was singing about ‘don’t lower off your dreadlocks,’ possibly solely Bob Marley,” Thompson advised an viewers at Rototom Sunsplash. “Each dance have it taking part in.” Songs akin to “Journey On Dreadlocks” and “Cool Down Your Mood” solidified his place amongst reggae’s most considerate voices. Because the Enki’s Music Information biography notes, “Thompson’s voice carried the authority of a prophet however the tone of a avenue poet—deeply rooted, aware, and unpretentious.”
King Tubby, Channel One, and Thompson Sound
The late Seventies marked a turning level for Thompson as he started to transition from singer to producer. Working intently with King Tubby and Channel One Studios, he refined his sound whereas experimenting with dub methods. “We by no means sing about killing music,” he defined in a single interview. “We sing about optimistic songs, and King Tubby would play it—the entire place simply get excited.”
It was throughout this era that he based his Thompson Sound label, by way of which he recorded his 1978 masterpiece ‘I Love Marijuana’, that includes drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace and bassist Aston “Household Man” Barrett of the Wailers. The album’s success, recorded at Channel One, established Thompson as each a number one artist and a producer of great pedigree.
His studio periods gave rise to a brand new rhythm powerhouse—the Roots Radics Band—which might later anchor reggae’s subsequent evolution. This era additionally launched Henry “Junjo” Lawes, who started as Thompson’s assistant earlier than changing into one of the influential producers of the early dancehall period.
Mentor, Innovator, and the Delivery of Dancehall
By the early Nineteen Eighties, Thompson’s fingerprints had been all over the place—from the rhythms of Scientist Meets the House Invaders to Freddie McGregor’s international hit “Huge Ship,” which he engineered. The period additionally noticed his dub experiments akin to Negrea Dub, Inexperienced Bay Dub, and Outlaw Dub change into underground classics.
As reggae shifted towards the digital age, Thompson maintained his dedication to stay instrumentation and message music. “Roots music—that’s the suitable method. Optimistic music,” he stated firmly. However by the mid-Nineteen Eighties, with the rise of computerised rhythms like “Beneath Me Sleng Teng,” he quietly stepped again from the highlight, specializing in his Stony Hill property and venturing into actual property.
Latest Work and Legacy
Whilst digital dancehall dominated, Thompson’s affect endured. Reissues of his traditional albums by way of Blood & Hearth, Trojan, and Majestic Reggae launched his catalogue to a brand new technology, whereas his songs continued to be sampled and remixed worldwide.
Thompson stays deeply rooted within the religious and ethical ideas which have guided him since his earliest days in music. Talking throughout a 2019 Rototom Sunsplash panel reflecting on his profession, he stated, “When you’re to be a Rasta, it’s a must to have love for everybody. You need to keep optimistic and attempt to assist folks.” His phrases mirrored not solely his private philosophy but additionally the enduring message woven by way of his music.
In recent times, he has collaborated with Spanish producer Roberto Sánchez, releasing “Borderline” and touring with the Robust Like Sampson Band. “Every time we entered the border, the sheriff requested for my passport… so I write the music,” he stated of its inspiration.
In 2018, he launched Linval Presents Dub Touchdown Vols. 1 & 2, showcasing uncommon and unreleased gems from his manufacturing archives. From his dwelling in Kingston’s Stone City, Thompson continues to document and mentor younger artists, together with feminine vocalists like Nadia McAnuff and Kay Vibes, whom he sees as the following wave of aware roots reggae.
Sources:
- Reggae College, Rototom Sunsplash (2019)
- AllMusic Biography by Nathan Bush (2024)
- Enki’s Music Information: Linval Thompson – Dancehall Pioneer (2022)
- Linval Thompson – Retrospective Documentary (2024)
- Irie Ites Information Interview (2024)
