Chris Blackwell
Record Producer
1937 –
Who is Chris Blackwell?
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". 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.
Forming Island Records in Jamaica on 22 May 1959 aged 22, Blackwell was amongst the first to record the Jamaican popular music that eventually became known as ska. Returning to Britain in 1962, he sold records from the back of his car to the Jamaican community.
Backed by Stanley Borden from RKO Entertainment, Blackwell's business and reach grew substantially, and he went on to forge the careers of Bob Marley, Grace Jones and U2 amongst many other diverse high-profile acts. He has produced many seminal albums, including Marley's Catch A Fire and Uprising.
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- Born
- Jun 22, 1937
Westminster - Also known as
- Blackwell, Chris
- Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell
- Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell
- Chris
- Parents
- Spouses
- Ada Blackwell
- Mary Vinson
(1998 - 2009)
- Children
- Religion
- Sephardic Judaism
- Ethnicity
- Jewish people
- Nationality
- England
- Profession
- Education
- Harrow School
- Employment
- Manga Entertainment
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Chris Blackwell." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/chris_blackwell>.
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