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| Blood and Fire | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Steve Barrow, Bob Harding, Mick Hucknall, Elliot Rashman, Andy Dodd |
| Distributor(s) | VP Records |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Location | Manchester |
| Official website | www |
Blood and Fire is a British reggae record label specialising in reissues of 1970s dub.
Steve Barrow, Bob Harding, Mick Hucknall, Elliot Rashman and Andy Dodd formed the record label in Manchester in 1993 with the objective of reissuing roots reggae, dub and DJ albums with the integrity of jazz reissues. [1] In the process, Blood and Fire influenced the overall aesthetic of other labels issuing archival Jamaican recordings in the 1990s and beyond.
Initial releases drew on mid-1970s Bunny Lee produced material but the label subsequently reissued material produced by Yabby You and Glen Brown along with the Lee "Scratch" Perry produced Congos set Heart of the Congos and a three-CD Big Youth set, Natty Universal Dread .
Despite the reissue objective, the label released two one-riddim albums. [1] The first was Tree of Satta (2003) which used the original "Satta Massagana" riddim featuring a mixture of new and vintage voicings over the riddim along with the original version of the song by The Abyssinians. The second, Fisherman Style (2006), used The Congos' "Fisherman" riddim and featured new material from a variety of singers including Horace Andy, U Roy, Big Youth, Luciano, Tony Tuff and Dillinger. [1]
The label also had a sound system which has featured original Jamaican artists such as Dilinger, Trinity, Ranking Joe, U Brown, Horace Andy, Dennis Alcapone, U Roy, Spikey Tee, Country Culture, Raggamonica along with Steve Barrow and Dom Sotgiu. In July 2006 the sound went to Japan with U Roy on a three date sell out tour.
In 2007, news leaked out via the company's popular message board that Blood and Fire had stopped trading as an active company. The loss of their American and French distributors due to bankruptcy as well as some unfortunate management decisions, combined with an industry-wide decline in sales, were to blame. [1] Although the company declined to make any official announcement, it was effectively out of business.[ citation needed ]
In 2014 it was announced that the label would be relaunched in conjunction with VP Records, with Barrow overseeing future projects. [1] [2]
Osbourne Ruddock, better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) and Cedric Myton (falsetto), later becoming a trio with the addition of Watty Burnett (baritone), and have been active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They are best known for their Heart of the Congos album, recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Lloyd Woodrowe James, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub master at King Tubby's recording studio. His dubs are known for their clear sound and use of effects.
Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music.
The Chantells were a Jamaican reggae group from the latter half of the 1970s.
Pressure Sounds is a British DIY record label, specialising in releasing reggae music. Run by Pete Holdsworth, it is one of the most enduring reggae labels in the UK, specialising in reissuing obsolete tunes. It was originally a subsidiary of On-U Sound.
Tapper Zukie is a roots reggae deejay and producer.
Culture Press is an independent record label from UK specialized in Jamaican music.
Winston Holness, better known as Niney the Observer OD, is a Jamaican record producer and singer who was a key figure in the creation of many classic reggae recordings dating from the 1970s and early 1980s.
The Revolutionaries was a Jamaican reggae band.
Carlton "Santa" Davis is a musician from Jamaica, primarily known for his drumming with bands such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Aggrovators, Soul Syndicate and Roots Radics. He has worked with reggae artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru, Burning Spear, Big Youth, The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Andrew Tosh, Wailing Souls, Ini Kamoze, Big Mountain, Michael Rose, and Ziggy Marley.
Vivian Neville Jackson, better known as Yabby You, was a reggae vocalist and producer, who came to prominence in the early 1970s through his uncompromising self-produced work.
Michael George Haynes, known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s most popular roots reggae singers and had several prominent hits during his 40-year career. After his death his family, together with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency, released the highly rated live album "live at plein les watts"
Huford Brown, better known by the stage name U Brown, is a reggae deejay who released eleven albums between 1976 and 1984.
Pick a Dub is a 1974 album by Jamaican producer and musician Keith Hudson. Critically well received, it is widely regarded as an important work in the dub music genre which evolved out of reggae. Featuring remixes of earlier material, it focuses on heavy drums and bass guitar, with echoing vocals to underscore the intense percussive rhythm. Carlton and Aston Barrett and Augustus Pablo contributed music, while vocal fragments include Hudson, Horace Andy and Big Youth. The album was originally released under the labels of Klik and Atra, with a 1994 reissue by Blood and Fire.
Front Line was a reggae subsidiary of Virgin Records established in 1978. Over forty albums were issued on the label before it folded in 1979.
Conquering Lion is the debut album by Jamaican musician Yabby You and his backing group The Prophets. It was released in 1975 on Jackson's label Prophets. In the UK the album was released in 1975 under the title Ramadam or Ram-A-Dam, and had a different track listing.
King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson is the second album by Jamaican musician Yabby You, in collaboration with Jamaican sound engineer and dub music pioneer King Tubby.
