Duke Vin

Duke Vin and the Birth Of Ska - Directed by Gus Berger - 2009

Reggae is full of amazing characters and Duke Vin is one of them. 

One of the first sound men in the UK. This excellent documentary slowly builds up a great story from the time he was in Jamaica and worked as a selector from Tom The Great Sebastian in Jamaica.

That was the early fifties, but by then he had made a move to the UK.

He became a stowaway on a Danish Banana boat bound for the UK.

Discovering that little or no entertainment was available in London for the Jamaican community.

He built his own Sound System - consisting of second-hand turntable, amp, and speaker costing a total of about £25.00.

It wasn't long before had a rival in Count Suckle.

Other sound systems quickly followed - and they included Lloydie Coxsone in South London and Count Shelly in North London.

Duke and Suckle ruled West London.

By the sixties, the number of people attending these dances usually in people's homes grew to such an extent - that they needed bigger venues.

At this point in the Documentary - Daddy Vego picks up the story - the power of the sound system - the wattage was getting too much for a normal house.  Some of The ceilings started to fall in!

It was around this time that clubs like The Flamingo and The Marquee came into their own.

And the Town Halls the pride of every borough in London - were also very popular venues.

Also explained in the documentary is the importance of having a great selection of music to play at dances. Duke Vin for example had a number of killer tunes. 

His favourite being 'The Tickler' produced by Derrick Harriot - produced in the late sixties. No one it seems knew the name of this tune until 2006 when it was finally released.

It's a great story and this is a great documentary about a great man.