Trojan Records
Trojan Records, a British record label established in Jamaica by Duke Reid, was launched in the UK in 1968; a joint venture between Indo-Jamaican Lee Gopthal and Jamaican-raised Briton, Chris Blackwell- who founded Island Records.
The label focused on ska, rocksteady, reggae, and dub music and helped to bridge the cultural gap by introducing Jamaican music to a generation of young Brits - skinheads, punk rockers and eventually, the wider music loving population and by bringing the sounds of home to the Windrush generation, who had settled in the UK. Trojan records was also responsible for launching the careers of many musicians in the UK, including releasing Bob Marley and The Wailers hit ‘Stir It Up’ in 1968.
A Trojan compilation titled Music House Volume 1, showing the Willesden headquarters. Picture: Trojan Records (Image: Archant)
The 1980s saw pop music embracing reggae and bringing it to the mainstream. With Blondie’s cover of The Paragons’ The Tide is High (co-released by Trojan in 1966), UB40's 1983 take on the Trojan interpretation of Red Red Wine by Tony Tribe, and Boy George's 1987 rendition of Ken Boothe's Everything I Own (itself a cover of a Bread song).
New covers of many of these tracks continue to tap into the rich reggae heritage that Trojan records helped to popularise in the UK.
Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records Documentary Film
(Click Here - to listen to Tony Tribe’s rendition of Red Red Wine)
Until 1975, their headquarters were located at 12 Neasden Lane, in Willesden, in a warehouse which they named ‘Music House’.
Between 1969 and 1976, Trojan Records produced nearly 30 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart and played a crucial role in popularizing reggae worldwide. Notable artists from that era include Judge Dread, Tony Tribe, Lee "Scratch" Perry's Upsetters, Bob and Marcia, Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, the Harry J All Stars, The Maytals, The Melodians, Nicky Thomas, and Dave and Ansel Collins. The Cimarons, a band signed with Trojan, originated in Harlesden in 1969 and were the UK's first self-contained reggae group. In 2014, a blue plaque commemorating the band was placed at Tavistock Hall.
Harry J AllStars LP ‘Liquidator’ (Click Here - to listen to track)
Now operating under the Sanctuary Records Group, in 2018, the label celebrated its 50th Anniversary which included the release of ‘Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records’ a documentary film about the origins and impact of Trojan Records and how Jamaican music paved the way for modern multi-cultural Britain; and Trojan Records’ 50th Anniversary Box Set music collection of the label's output over the past 50 years.