By Claude Mills, Staff Reporter
Veteran record producer Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd (right) and his wife, Norma, attended a ceremony last Friday during which Brentford Road in Kingston was renamed Studio One Boulevard in honour of the producer's outstanding body of work and contribution to the development of Jamaican music.
AS NEWS of the death of legendary music pioneer Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd reverberated throughout the music fraternity and the wider society on Tuesday, tributes have been pouring in to honour the renowned Studio One founder.
Yesterday, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, in a release to the media, extended condolences to Dodd's family.
"Sir Coxsone earned the love and respect and gratitude of many local and international musicians who considered it a privilege to record on his famous Studio One label," Mr. Patterson said.
A HOUSEHOLD NAME
He continued: "He was a household name as Jamaicans and music lovers everywhere eagerly anticipated the positive messages that would be portrayed in lyrics that emanated from Studio One... let us be comforted by the fact that he will forever hold a special place in the cultural history of our nation.
"Today, through the contribution of persons like Sir Coxsone, Jamaica is recognised worldwide as the undisputed mecca of popular music."
Last week, the Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie presided over an official ceremony which saw the renaming of Brentford Road as Studio One Boulevard. This week, he has found himself in the uncomfortable position of eulogising the life of a great music pioneer who was honoured only a few days ago.
"Without his courage to take the necessary risks with some of these artistes, their voices may never have reached vinyl. Without his ear for talent, many of them would not have been unearthed. Without his ability to keep together such a talented and arrogant band of musicians as the early Skatalites, he would not have been able to produce the memorable hits they have left for posterity," Mr. McKenzie said in a release.
Yesterday, Aloun N'dombet-Assamba, Minister of Industry and Tourism with responsibility for Entertainment, joined with the entire music fraternity of Jamaica in grieving the passing of Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, a pioneering giant of Jamaica's music industry.
In the meantime, the widowed Norma Dodd, his wife of 42 years, is still trying to cope with the sudden loss of a man she calls her best friend.
"We're trying to cope, and with the support of friends, artistes and musicians, we are doing O.K. It is hard but the full realisation doesn't hit you, not until you go home, and you realise that there is no more Coxsone. He always gave a lot of jokes, he was just funny and nice, he's just a wonderful man. He is a one of a kind, you will never find another Clement Dodd, in terms of what he has done for people out of the good of his heart," she said.
Family and friends met last night to formulate plans for a funeral for the music pioneer.
Mr. Dodd played an instrumental role in the development of Jamaican music, firstly through his sound system (Downbeat) in the 1950s, and later by being one of the first producers to start recording Jamaican music.
The founder of Studio One, located at what was 13 Brentford Road, he earned the Jamaica Order of Distinction in 1991, and in August 2002, Dodd was given a special award marking Jamaica's 40th year of Independence. He also received a Gold Musgrave Medal for his contribution to music in 2002.
