Editing Duke Reid

{{Redirect|Treasure Isle|the game|Treasure Isle (video game)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Jamaican English|date=March 2012}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Duke Reid
| image           =
| caption         =
| image_size      =
| birth_name      = Arthur Reid
| birth_date      = {{birth date|df=yes|1923|05|14}}
| birth_place     = [[Portland Parish|Portland]], Jamaica
| death_date      = {{death date and age|df=yes|1976|09|26|1923|05|14}}
| death_place     =
| origin          =
| instrument      =
| genre           = {{Flatlist|
*[[Ska]]
*[[rocksteady]]
*[[reggae]]}}
| occupation      = {{Flatlist|
*[[Record producer]]
*[[DJ]]
*[[record label]] owner}}
| years_active    = 1953–1975
| label           = {{Flatlist|
*[[Trojan Records|Trojan]]
*Duke Reid
*Dutchess
*Treasure Isle}}
| associated_acts =
| website         = 
}}

'''Arthur "Duke" Reid''' [[Order of Distinction|CD]] (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaican [[record producer]], [[DJ]] and [[record label]] owner.

He ran one of the most popular [[Reggae sound system|sound systems]] of the 1950s called '''Reid's Sound System''', whilst Duke himself was known as '''The Trojan''', possibly named after the British-made trucks used to transport the equipment. In the 1960s, Reid founded the record label Treasure Isle (named after his liquor store), which produced [[ska]] and [[rocksteady]] music.<ref name="Music">{{cite book
| first= Paul
| last= Du Noyer
| year= 2003
| title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Flame Tree Publishing 
| location= Fulham, London
| isbn= 1-904041-96-5
| page= 352}}</ref> He was still active in the early 1970s, working with [[Deejay (Jamaican)|toaster]] [[U-Roy]]. He died in early 1975 after having suffered from a severe illness for the last year.

==Biography==
Reid was born in [[Portland Parish|Portland]], Jamaica. After serving ten years as a Jamaican [[police officer]], Reid left the force to help his wife Lucille run the family business, The Treasure Isle Grocery and Liquor Store at 33 Bond Street in [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]].<ref name="Gleaner1411">"[http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20141109/ent/ent7.html Duke Reid 'The Trojan']", ''[[Jamaica Gleaner]]'', 9 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014</ref>

He made his way into the [[music industry]] first as a [[Sound system (Jamaican)|sound system]] (outdoor mobile discothèque) owner, promoter and disc jockey in 1953.<ref name="Gleaner1411" /> He quickly overtook [[Tom the Great Sebastian]] as the most popular sound system in Kingston.<ref name="katz7">{{cite book|last=Katz|first=David|title=Solid foundation: an oral history of reggae|year=2003|publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=978-1-58234-143-9|pages=7–8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcTgyjJ3OXoC&pg=PA7}}</ref> Soon he was also sponsor and presenter of a radio show, Treasure Isle Time. A jazz and blues man at heart, Reid chose "My Mother's Eyes" by [[Tab Smith]] as his [[Theme music|theme tune]]. Other favourites of his included [[Fats Domino]], a noticeable influence on the early Reid sound.

He began producing recordings in the late 1950s.<ref name="Gleaner1411" /> Early Reid productions were recorded in studios owned by others, but when the family business moved from Pink Lane, [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]] to Bond Street, Reid set up his own studio above the store. He became proprietor of a number of labels, chiefly Treasure Isle and Dutchess (his spelling).<ref name="Gleaner1411" /> Much of his income derived from licensing agreements with companies in the [[United Kingdom|UK]], some of which set up specialist Duke Reid labels. He was known to carry his pistols and rifle with him in the studio and would sometimes fire them to celebrate a successful audition.<ref name="Gleaner1411" />

He dominated the Jamaican music scene of the 1960s, specialising in [[ska]] and [[rocksteady]], though his love of American [[jazz]], [[blues]] and [[soul music|soul]] was evident. Reid had several things going for him that helped him to rise to prominence. He made a concerted effort to be in the studio as much as possible, something his counterparts did not do. He was known as a perfectionist and had a knack for adding symphonic sounds to his recordings and producing dense arrangements. Furthermore, his records were considerably longer than those being produced by his rivals. His tunes often broke the four-minute barrier, while most ska songs were barely longer than two minutes. The material that Treasure Island issued exemplified the cool and elegant feel of the rocksteady era.<ref name="Music"/> In an interview for Kool 97 FM, Jackie Jackson along with [[Paul Douglas (musician)|Paul Douglas]] and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan were asked about the many recordings they did together as the rhythm section for Treasure Isle Records, and working with [[Sonia Pottinger]] and Duke Reid.<ref name=":13">Mikey T interview with Jackie Jackson, Paul Douglas, and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan. Kool 97 FM. kool97fm.com. 27 November 2016. <http://www.kool97fm.com> Retrieved 27 November 2016.</ref>

Duke Reid made an impact with his presence at [[Deejay (Jamaican)|toasting]] battles, trying to out play other DJs. He was dressed in a long ermine cloak and a gilt crown on his head, with a pair of Colt 45s in cowboy holsters, a cartridge belt strapped across his chest and a loaded shotgun over his shoulder. It was not uncommon for things to get out of hand and it was said that Duke Reid would bring the crowd under control by firing his shotgun in the air.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://people.artcenter.edu/~acheng1/design_workshop/01.28.03/rap_evolution.pdf|title=The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States|last=Rhodes|first=Henry A.|year=2013|page=5}}</ref>

Reid initially disliked ska for being too simple and having too much focus on drums rather than on guitar. However, he eventually got behind ska and produced numerous hits.<ref name="Gleaner1411" /> Reid's ska productions in the 1960s "epitomized the absolute peak of the style", according to music historian [[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]].<ref name="Larkin">{{Cite book |editor1-first=Colin |editor1-last=Larkin |editor1-link=Colin Larkin (writer) |year=2011 |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |edition=5th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC |location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |at=Reid, Duke |isbn=9780857125958 }}</ref> He had a long string of hits with performers like [[Stranger Cole]], [[the Techniques]], [[Justin Hinds and the Dominoes]], [[Alton Ellis and the Flames]], [[the Paragons]], [[the Jamaicans]], and [[the Melodians]].<ref name="Larkin" />

Reid held a fierce, mutual professional [[rivalry]] with [[Coxsone Dodd]] starting in the late 1950s and through the 1960s. Reid's Trojan and Coxsone's Downbeat were the top two sound systems in Jamaica when active, and the competition extended to their Treasure Isle and [[Studio One (record label)|Studio One]] labels, respectively.<ref name="Bradley">{{cite book |last1=Bradley |first1=Lloyd |title=Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music |date=2002 |publisher=BBC Worldwide |location=London, UK |isbn=0563488077 |page=31}}</ref><ref name="Katz">{{cite web |last1=Katz |first1=David |title=Obituary - Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/may/06/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=26 September 2024 |date=5 May 2004}}</ref> According to singer [[Brent Dowe]] of [[The Melodians]], "When they were playing records, they were playing against each other...If you were singing for one, you couldn't go and sing for the other, or if you did you couldn't go back to the first one for a long time."<ref name="Bradley"/>

By the 1970s, Reid's poor health and the trend towards [[Rastafari movement|Rastafarian]] influenced roots reggae, noticeably reducing the number of releases from Treasure Isle. Reid forbade Rasta lyrics from being recorded in his studio and thus [[Coxsone Dodd]] was able to dominate the Jamaican recording industry. Reid maintained his high-profile largely by recording the "toasting" of [[Deejay (Jamaican)|DJ]]s [[U-Roy]] and [[Dennis Alcapone]] as well as vaguely Rasta-influenced oddities such as [[Cynthia Richards]]' "Aily-I".

At around this time, Reid protégé Justin Hinds noticed his boss appeared unwell and recommended a doctor. Cancer was diagnosed and Reid decided to sell Treasure Isle to [[Sonia Pottinger]], widow of his friend Lenford "Lennie the King" Pottinger and already owner of High Note Records, which was one of the largest record labels on the Island. He remained involved for a while acting as a Magistrate but died in 1975.

Reid was posthumously awarded the [[Order of Distinction]] in the rank of Commander on 15 October 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20071015T230000-0500_128382_OBS_ARTISTES_PRESENTED_WITH_NATIONAL_AWARDS.asp |title=Artistes presented with national awards – |work=[[Jamaica Observer]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016131400/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20071015T230000-0500_128382_OBS_ARTISTES_PRESENTED_WITH_NATIONAL_AWARDS.asp |archive-date=16 October 2007}}</ref>

==Partial discography==
* Various Artists – ''[[Soul to Soul (film)|Soul To Soul]] [[DJ]]'s Choice'' – 1973 – [[Trojan Records]] (1995)
* Various Artists – ''Gems From [[Treasure Isle]]'' – 1966-1968 – Trojan Records (1982)
* Various Artists – ''Ba Ba Boom Duke Reid'' – 1967-1972 – [[Trojan Records]] (1994)
* Various Artists – ''Duke Reid's [[Treasure Chest]]'' – [[Heartbeat Records]] (1992)
* Various Artists – ''Treasure Isle Dub Vol 01''
* Various Artists – ''Version Affair Vol 01'' – Lagoon (1992)
* Various Artists – ''Version Affair Vol 02'' – Lagoon (1993)
* Various Artists – ''[[Sir Coxsone]] & Duke Reid in Concert at Forresters Hall'' – Studio One
* Various Artists – ''The Treasure Isle Story'' (4-CD box set) – Trojan Records (2017)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Duke}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:Jamaican police officers]]
[[Category:Jamaican record producers]]
[[Category:Jamaican sound systems]]
[[Category:Jamaican reggae musicians]]
[[Category:People from Portland Parish]]
[[Category:Trojan Records artists]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of Distinction]]
[[Category:20th-century Jamaican male musicians]]