Summer Records Anthology, 1974-1998

September 7, 2007

Title: Summer Records Anthology
Artists: Various
Label: Light in the Attic
Catalog No: LITA029
Date: 2007

Canada is not the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of roots reggae; however, the Summer Records Anthology is a testimony to the exceptional contributions from the great white north. As a young man in Jamaica, Jerry Brown, founder of Summer Records, sang in several groups including the Cool Shakes and the Jamaicans—the latter recorded two singles for Duke Reed’s Treasure Island label with marginal success. Brown left the Jamaicans for an apprenticeship in auto body repair, but missed the limelight and later rejoined a stripped down version of the group which performed on various cruise ships thoughout the Caribbean. Eventually landing back in Jamaica and finding few opportunities, Brown decided to move abroad. Since gaining entry to the U.S. would have required him to serve in Vietnam, he instead settled in Toronto, Ontario, in 1968.

Canada had recently loosened its immigration restrictions to include males of African decent and Toronto had a growing West Indian diaspora, as reflected in the number of organizations and businesses that catered to the West Indian population. Night clubs were surrogates for the yard parties and dancehalls that the ex-pats had left behind, and acts from the Caribbean were imported to give them a taste of home. Brown recognized the desire for homegrown entertainment and in true entrepreneurial spirit he joined forces with friend Oswald Creary to produce and record local talent. Initially Creary and Brown created rhythm tracks and some simple arrangements using recording equipment in Creary’s living room. Summer Records got a charge when Brown relocated his family to the suburb of Malton and constructed a studio in the basement of his new home. Their first release in 1974 was Johnny Osbourne’s “Sun Rise” b/w “Love Makes the World Go Round,” in a limited pressing of 300 copies. Around the same time Brown was introduced to a new face in the Toronto scene, none other then Prince Jammy, electronic wizard and apprentice to the legendary King Tubby. The two began to talk and Brown invited Prince Jammy to have a look at his studio and possibly offer technical advice. This relationship eventually caused a riff between Creary and Brown. When Creary walked out, taking his equipment with him, Brown was able to get new equipment on credit and Prince Jammy re-wired the studio. Over the next fourteen years, they sporadically released cuts from Summer studios. Brown finally closed the doors in the late ‘80s due to changes in musical direction and limited sales and distribution.

The Summer Records Anthology is a collection of fifteen rare or previously unreleased tracks from the Toronto studio. Themes range from praise of Jah Rastafari to the struggles of poverty, resistance, and oppression. Included are cuts by Jerry Brown, Noel Ellis, Adrian “Homer” Miller, Willi Williams, Ranking and Johnny Osbourne, backed by the revolving house band Earth, Water and Roots, featuring Jackie Mittoo and Leroy Sibbles, among others. The sound quality of these recordings is exceptional and is a true testament to Jerry Brown’s passion for the music.

Packaging for the Summer Records Anthology is very eco-friendly and clean. The CD is enhanced with twenty minutes of archive film that really gives a feel for the spirit of the times and the music. The collection is distributed by Light in the Attic records (LITA), an independent distribution company from Seattle, as part of their “Jamaica-Toronto” series which also includes a collection of Soul, Funk and Reggae, and more from Jackie Mittoo and Noel Ellis. For more information about LITA and their other collections visit their website.

Posted by Heather O’Sullivan

Filed under: Reggae