Linval Thompson

Although known for his production work primarily, Linval Thompson cut some great vocal roots tracks, back in the 1970’s, and it’s these classic cuts in there dub from, again a musical style much suited to Linval’s makeup, that we would like to concentrate on here.

Born in 1959, Kingston, Jamaica, Linval Thompson was actually raised in Queens, New York City, and it was at the age of 16, that he cut his first track for Bunny Rugs, an underground track called ‘No Woman’.

While in New York Linval also subsidised a possible career in engineering by supplying fresh reggae to a newly reggae expanding U.S reggae market. This became so successful for him that it would lead to his return to Jamaica, in search of new product. It was 1974 and Lee Perry had just opened his Black Ark Studio’s at his home in the Washington Gardens district of Kingston.