Various - Soul Jazz Records Presents Studio One Women 2LP

Soul Jazz Records’ long out of print classic ‘Studio One Women’ collection is being re-released in three new one-off limited-edition coloured pressing 18th anniversary format editions!

Firstly a heavyweight special limited edition one-pressing only yellow 2xLP vinyl + download.

Secondly, there is also a new special limited-edition one-off pressing edition yellow-pressed CD enclosed in jewel case and slipcase.

And thirdly there is a very limited unique new one-off pressing orange-cased cassette format (200 copies only)!

18 years on from its original release Studio One Women remains one of our Studio One releases most in-demand titles and like all our earlier special coloured editions is sure to sell out fast!

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Ska, rocksteady, funky reggae, roots, dub mixes, disco mixes, they're all here from the queens of the Jamaican music scene - Studio One Women features a wide mix of classics and obscurities from the finest female voices in reggae.

Until now most of these tracks have only ever been available as extremely hard to find Jamaican 7 inch and 12 inch singles and even if you were lucky enough to find them they'd cost you a small fortune

Marcia Griffiths and Rita Marley (here with her first group The Soulettes, whose iconic image features on the cover) are two of Jamaica's most famous female singers hugely popular today. Both these artists became internationally famous as The I – Threes (along with Judy Mowatt), Bob Marley's backing singers alongside The Wailers. Also featured are Hortense Ellis, sister of Alton who cut many smash hits on the island, and Jennifer Lara, a lady who had a long career with Studio One, singing on countless sides.

Studio One Women refers not just to the small selection of artists featured here but also to those who took integral roles throughout the Studio One empire, starting with Doris Darlington, mother of Clement Dodd. Sir Coxsone’s Downbeat Soundsystem which ruled the dancehalls of Kingston throughout the 1950s and 60s, started off as the musical entertainment for customers of Mrs Darlington’s Nannys Bar.

Clement Dodd often referred to his mother as ‘Jamaica’s first female DJ’, as she would play records at the bar whenever he was on trips to the US, hunting down R’n’B records. Other important women behind the scenes included Norma Dodd (wife of Clement) whose sleevenotes featured on many Studio One releases, and Enid Cumberland, who as well as being a successful artist (half of the duo Keith and Enid), taught harmony in the studio and ran the studio shop.

It would also be impossible not to mention Sister Ignatius, who ran the infamous Alpha Boys School for over 50 years, encouraging students which included Tommy McCook, Johnny 'Dizzy' Moore, Lester Sterling and Don Drummond, Theo Beckford, Cedric Brooks, Johnny Osbourne and countless other musicians and artists to excel at music, and many of whom became integral to the success of Studio One.