Theo Beckford

Born on the 28^th December 1935 - Theo Beckford grew up in Trenchtown. Kingston Jamaica.

By the late forties, he was listening to the music of the big bands like Don Hitchman, Jack Howie, Mapletoft Poulle, Milton McPherson, Carlisle Henrique, and Val Bennett. By the fifties, he was listening to the Baba Motta, Sonny Bradshaw, Joe Harriott, The Gaynair Brothers, and Babe O'Brien. The music these musicians tended to be Bebop and Blues.

Yet it was the Sound System and the music they played on the Sound Systems - R&B/Shuffle Beat that was to have the biggest impact on Theo.

You only have to listen to the early tunes from Theo Beckford to know that he was a big fan of Rosco Gordon and the Sound Of New Orleans. That Heavy Left hand style - was taken up by Theo - and it became a lot heavier!

Sometime in the late fifties, Theo recorded 'Easy Snapping' for Coxsone Dodd - at Federal Studio. (Coxsone's Studio One - had yet to come into existence). It remains Theo Beckford's biggest hit - Theo had successfully taken the 'Shuffle Beat' style of the US - and give it a Jamaican style. He was the first man in Jamaica to 'Change The Beat'.

More songs in the same style followed including 'Jack And Jill Shuffle', 'Lazy Miss Daisy' 'Shake A Leg' Released on a variety of Coxsone's labels like 'Worldisc' and 'All Star'

When Theo left Coxsone he began to record for producers like Leslie Kong, King Edwards and Dee's and Smith's - sometimes he was playing piano on a sessions - but he also recorded for them - tunes like 'She's Gone, (My Baby Is Gone) for Smith's and 'Go On' (Dee's).

Eventually, Theo, realised the only way forward for him was to set up his own label 'King Pioneer' (He was inspired by the 'King' label in America). Theo released nearly 50 tunes on King Pioneer - from 61-68 and worked with some of the true greats of Jamaican music - including Lloyd Clarke, The Maytals, The Tennors - and he was also the first people to record Keith Walker - Jamaica's and the world's first Deejay! - But that is a different story.... Many thanks to Buster Brakus and Rich Lowe.