For many Jamaicans, Toronto is a home away from home. The early 1960s saw the unbuckling of Canada’s immigration act; at the close of the decade the enforcement of the Family Reunification programme opened the doors even wider, rocketing Canada’s Jamaican population. The migration catalysed cultural shifts: these days, the Caribbean Carnival, held every summer since 1967, is attended by more than a million people. And of course, this diaspora is reflected in the T-Dot’s fine musical heritage. Restless at home, and discouraged by the glut of Jamaican musicians already climbing up the politics-laden industry ladder in nearby America, Canada became a hotbed for imported reggae talent, with greats like Jackie Mittoo and Johnny Osbourne among the many who fled north to new lives.
The Seattle label Light In The Attic’s sterling compilations, ‘Jamaica To Toronto, 1967 – 1974’ and ‘Summer Records Anthology, 1974 – 1988’ collect some of the sublime music produced by various Studio One, Treasure Isle and Trojan old hands following their relocation to Canada. Launched in 1974 by Jerry Brown and producer Oswald Creary, Summer Records debuted brightly with Johnny Osbourne and Bunny Brown’s feel-good ‘Love Makes The World Go Round.’ A kind of Canadian version of Lee Perry’s buzzing Black Ark studio in feel, Summer produced a riveting one-off six-track LP for Alton Ellis’ son Noel in 1979 with Willie Williams and revered Skatalites pianist Jackie Mittoo on board (Mitoo recorded three albums himself in Canada, a resident since the late 1960s). They enjoyed moderate success, with most of the music put down by the Earth, Roots and Water house band, but struggled with geographic bias and would later resort to stretching the truth by printing ‘Made In Jamaica’ on their labels to reassure dubious customers. Later, Brown green-lit a split-label 12 inch with childhood friend Lloyd Barnes’ hot Wackies imprint in New York.
The most rewarding review of this scene, though, is British imprint PK’s superlative compilation ‘Glory, Dominion, Majesty, Power’, a slick, assiduous study of Toronto-based reggae label Half Moon’s gripping output. Formed after Creary split from Summer Records and Jerry Brown in 1975, the label released local talent like Dill Smith and Pat Satchmo but also roped in established stars like Johnny Osbourne, Stranger Cole and Leroy Sibbles, lead singer of crucial rocksteady troupe The Heptones. Half Moon’s in-house backing band, the Super 8 Corporation, shone on gems like Stranger’s sparse, hypnotic ‘Freedom, Justice & Equality’, and standout cuts like Joe Higgs’ Augustus Pablo-helmed classic ‘Creation’ are firmly ensconced in the deep reggae canon – Canadian or otherwise.
