The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond
By Chris Blackwell and Paul Morley
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
Since its founding in 1959, Island Records has been home to legendary artists representing wildly divergent musical styles, yet who share the same maverick, outsider spirit of its founder, Chris Blackwell. Time and again, Blackwell and his Island cohorts identified and nurtured musicians overlooked by other labels, including Bob Marley, U2, Cat Stevens, Grace Jones, Roxy Music, Traffic, Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Robert Palmer, Free, the B-52’s, John Martyn, and Jimmy Cliff.
Like these artists, Blackwell never took the conventional route. After a privileged early childhood in Jamaica—crossing paths with Ian Fleming, Noël Coward, and Errol Flynn—he was expelled from the elite British school Harrow for rebellious behavior at age seventeen. Within five years, he had moved back to Jamaica, and founded Island.
Intertwined with the story of Island is that of Bob Marley and the Wailers. After an impromptu meeting with the band in 1972, Blackwell produced the groundbreaking album Catch a Fire, formed a deep bond of mutual trust and friendship with Marley, and became known for helping to bring reggae music to the world stage. He also opened the first Jamaican boutique hotel, on the property of Ian Fleming’s former home, GoldenEye, where all the James Bond books were written.
This engaging memoir from one of the great raconteurs of the late 20th century makes for a giddy ride through some of that era’s most cutting-edge, enduring music. As Bono says, Blackwell “is an adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary, and a gentleman.”
Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell is the founder of Island Records, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is credited with being responsible for turning the world on to reggae music. Blackwell spent his childhood in Jamaica and founded Island Records at the age of twenty-two. He went on to forge the careers of Bob Marley, Cat Stevens, Grace Jones, and U2, among many other high-profile acts, and produced records including Marley’s Catch a Fire and Uprising. Blackwell currently runs Island Outpost, a group of elite resorts in Jamaica, which includes Goldeneye—the former home of author Ian Fleming.
Related to The Islander
Related ebooks
Paul Simon: The Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: How the Swampers Changed American Music Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stones Touring Party: A Journey Through America with the Rolling Stones Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soundtrack of My Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of THE BAND and Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Keith Richards on Keith Richards Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSly & the Family Stone: An Oral History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chairman at the Board: Recording the Soundtrack of a Generation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King's X: The Oral History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThat Thin, Wild Mercury Sound: Dylan, Nashville, and the Making of Blonde on Blonde Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Years of Rolling Stone: The Music, Politics and People that Shaped Our Culture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rise & Fall of EMI Records Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAre We Still Rolling?: Studios, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll: One Man's Journey Recording Classic Albums Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Have a Little Faith: The John Hiatt Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5CSNY: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Americana: The Kinks, the Riff, the Road: The Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Who before The Who Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years, 1926–1966 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What's Exactly The Matter With Me?: Memoirs of a life in music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaron Wolman: The Rolling Stone Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSteely Dan: Reelin' in the Years Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Memphis Mayhem: A Story of the Music That Shook Up the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalking on the Moon: The Untold Story of the Police and the Rise of New Wave Rock Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Just a Shot Away: 1969 Revisited Part 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Artists and Musicians For You
Gary Larson and The Far Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Meaning of Mariah Carey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Woman in Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coreyography: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The War of Art: by Steven Pressfield | Includes Analysis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Slash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Long Hard Road Out of Hell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Kids: A National Book Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elvis and Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Daily Creativity Journal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Would Leave Me If I Could.: A Collection of Poetry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bowie: An Illustrated Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leonardo da Vinci Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rememberings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Autobiography of Gucci Mane Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yes Please Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great Love Letters You Have To Read (Golden Deer Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tommyland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divided Soul: The Life Of Marvin Gaye Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Islander
6 ratings0 reviews