1967
FOOK SANG * TONY AND DENNIS * TROJAN 002 * GB

In Great Britain the first series of Trojan was issued by Island records, as another outlet, alongside Treasure Isle, for Duke Reid's productions. Duke Reid, a.k.a. Arthur Reid, also known as the Trojan, was born Jamaica c1915 and died in 1974. After spending some time in the Jamaican police force he opened a Liquor Store on Bond Street, with his wife Lucille. Through his love music he hosted a record program on Jamaica radio called "Treasure Isle Time" playing American R & B 78's, his theme tune was Tab's Smith's My Mother's Eye's. He also ran a Sound System, playing the same records he played on the radio at various dances across the island. It was the large van, nick-named 'The Trojan', Duke Reid used to transport his equipment around to the dance halls and open air events that led his Sound System, and his first record label, to also be known as the Trojan. His first attempts in 1959 on the "Trojan" label were 78's, such as Duke's Cookies and Chuck and Dobby's  Cool School. Duke Reid went on to build his own, wooden,  recording studio above his 'Treasure Isle Liquor Store', where, along with his engineer Bryon Smith some of the great Ska sounds of the day were produced. The above is a bit of a mystery to me, Dlake gives the real title as Folk Song, which may well be right, but it does sound like the singers are expressing their concern that the someone is going out and spending money, they can ill afford, on something called 'fook sang'. If it's the case that the pronunciation is really folk song and not fook sang, and she is spending said money on folk song it would make less sense.


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