Reggae Label Trojan Records Details 50th Anniversary Releases
The seminal reggae label Trojan Records will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with a slew of musical releases, a new documentary and a handful of live events.
Founded in 1968 by Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell, two Jamaican ex-pats living in London, Trojan helped introduce an array of reggae artists to mainstream audiences. The label’s catalog includes music from Lee “Scratch” Perry, Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, the Pioneers and the Maytalls, while its Upsetter imprint was responsible for releasing much of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ music in the U.K.
Trojan’s upcoming 50th anniversary release itinerary includes the three-disc Ska and Reggae Classics collection (out May 25th), the two-CD sets This is Trojan Roots and This is Trojan Dub (June 22nd) and the coffee table book, The Story of Trojan Records (July 5th). Laurence Cane-Honeysett wrote the The Story of Trojan Records (he previously chronicled the label in his 2003 book, Young, Gifted and Black), which also contains illustrations, photographs, record sleeves…