Blue Beat, Blues, Beats and Folk.
Including the launch of Blue Beat Hall Of Fame, launch of 60th Anniversary Edition of One Step Beyond and celebrating 65 years of The Blue Beat Label.
The story of The Blue Beat Label began in 1949 when entrepreneur Emil Shalit began importing Jazz tapes from America, and releasing 78rpm records on his Melodisc record label - the first independent record company in UK and Ireland.
The label expanded to include diverse genres, including Irish Folk music, Cha Cha Cha, Blues, and African Hi-Life records, as well as the Mento and Calypso records from the Caribbean which became internationally popular in the early 1950s. Melodisc would also export these shellac discs to overseas markets.
Apart from importing and exporting music, Melodisc embarked upon recording and releasing home-grown Calypso tunes, recorded in London with recently arrived Caribbean musicians.
Such names as the Calypsonian Lord Kitchener made ground breaking recordings which fused the raw island sounds of Calypso incorporating some of the best UK based Caribbean Jazz players of the day such as Joe Harriott to create a quirky Jazz/Calypso fusion in 1950s London that became internationally popular with fans.
Emil Shalit had initially employed Jack Chilks as label manager, who was followed by Trinidadian musical director Rupert Nurse. Then in 1953 an A&R man named Siggy Jackson took over the London office to oversee the operation.
By the end of the 1950s a very different style of music began to emerge from the newly established recording studios of Kingston, Jamaica.
Emil Shalit's Caribbean connections brought him into contact with the producers of this new music, and he started licensing Jamaican recorded tracks to be marketed mainly for the Caribbean communities in Britain.
Siggy Jackson was given the task of releasing and marketing this new style of music - which was essentially a Jamaican interpretation of the US shuffle R&B music that was very popular on the Island in the fifties - but this music had a different lilt. Jackson said "it sounded like blues, but it had a catchy beat, so I called it Blue Beat" - and so a legendary iconic label was born. The rest as they say is history.
Time to celebrate and recognise this history and it's contribution to society, the music industry and culture.
Melodisc Festival 2025
Blue Beat, Blues, Beats and Folk.
Including the launch of Blue Beat Hall Of Fame, launch of 60th Anniversary Edition of One Step Beyond and celebrating 65 years of The Blue Beat Label.
Vinyl Record and CD Fair, Family Area, Newcomers Stage, Acoustic Stage, Soundsystem Arena, DJs, Piano Bar, Dancing Stage, hospitality area, photo exhibition and more.
Saturday May 17th 2025 2pm to 10pm. Doors 12 noon.
Tickets on sale Monday March 17th 9am.
More details, first wave of line up announcements, priority access and further updates soon!
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