Wake the Town and Tell the People

Norman C. Stolzoff, Ph.D. is president of Ethnographic Insight, Inc., a consumer anthropology and marketing research firm in Bellingham, Washington.

“Dancehall is not just about music, it is about a way of life. Norman Stolzoff clearly understands this. I would tell anyone who wants to get a picture of reggae and the Jamaican people to take a read of Wake the Town and Tell the People-it's worth it. ‘Blessed.’ ”-Beenie Man, reigning king of the dancehall and two-time reggae Grammy nominee for Many Moods of Moses and The Doctor “Norman Stolzoff has gone where many fear to tread - to the very heart of the dancehall milieu in the depths of the Kingston ghetto, emerging with the first full, objective look at this fertile birthing ground of Jamaican music. Wake the Town introduces us to many of the prime figures in DJ culture-producers, promoters, selectors and artists-and traces their history back hundreds of years. It is a remarkable work.”-Roger Steffens, co-author of Bob Marley: Spirit Dancer and Old Fire Sticks: The Autobiography of Bunny Wailer “Stolzoff's comprehensive analysis will unquestionably be an important contribution to the growing field of Latin American/Caribbean popular music studies. But beyond its importance as the ‘first’ study of dancehall, this book is outstanding because of its theoretical sophistication, its comprehensive scope, and its firm grounding in extensive fieldwork among dancehall participants.”-Deborah Pacini-Hernandez, author of Bachata: A Social History of Dominican Popular Music “This is the first sustained study of Jamaican dancehall music and culture in all of its aspects. Everyone interested in the island music, and in popular music in general, will find something useful in this book.”-Andrew Ross, author of The Celebration Chronicles “An admirable attempt to change the terms of the debate engaged in by the foreign journalists and tastemakers who have dominated the discourse on Jamaican music. . . . Stolzoff’s historical analysis of dancehall culture, particularly how it grew out of the gang rivalry sponsored by Jamaica’s two main political parties, effectively maps the socio-political onto the music. . . His fieldwork and reportage of numerous yard dances is a crucial contribution to the literature.” - Peter Shapiro (The Wire) “An engaging anthropological study of dancehall.” - Aaron Cohen (DownBeat) “The first comprehensive study of a largely misunderstood and underestimated phenomenon.” (Publishers Weekly) “We are indebted to [Stolzoff] for his time and effort in putting together what must be, essentially, the most academic work on dancehall culture so far. . . . A very interesting and attractive book, it ought to be a watershed for how the music is studied in the future: As being much more than just music and dance and dubplates and deejays, but an intrinsic cultural force which has obviously influenced our society much more than many of us want to admit.” - Balford Henry (Jamaica Gleaner) “Delivering an illuminating profile of an undeniably infectious form, Stolzoff weaves his strands of interdisciplinary research into a focused depiction of social struggle and ghetto stardom. . . . Wake the Town takes its rightful place at the top of a growing list of hands-on reggae analyses.” - Jeff Gibson (Bookforum) “Norman Stolzoff seems to be the ideal chronicler. . . . Calling Wake the Town one of the best books written about Jamaican music is of course faint praise. . . . Armchair travelers will be rewarded with a visit to a place armchair travelers almost never go. Not the least of this book’s virtues is its title, which is taken from a tune by U Roy. In like fashion my summary paraphrases King Stitt: ‘No matter what the people say-this book leads the way.’ ” - Michael Turner (Beat) "An extremely important piece of scholarship and an enormous contribution to studies of popular culture, both in Jamaica and beyond. . . . The first sustained analysis of dancehall culture that I know of, and the first analysis of any kind that is so holistic in its coverage. . . . Impressive. . . . Should generate considerable debate in the field of cultural studies." - Belinda Edmondson (interventions)

• List of Illustrations xiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xxv1 Dancehall Culture in Jamaica: An Introduction 12 "From Way Back When": The Dancehall from Slavery to World War II 203 "Talking Blues": The Rise of the Sound System 414 "Get Up, Stand Up": The Dancehall in Post-Independence Jamaica 655 The Dub Market: The Recording Studio and the Production of Dancehall Culture 1156 "I'm Like a Gunshot Heading Toward a Target": The Career Trajectory of the Dancehall Entertainer 1517 "Run Come Inna the Dance": The Dancehall Performance 1938 The Politics of Dancehall Culture: A Conclusion 227Notes 249Bibliography 273Index 285