Saturday, June 22, 2013

COUNT MATCHUKI: Pioneer of Reggae Dancehall


Winston Cooper (c.1939–1995), better known as Count Matchuki or Count Machuki, was one of the first Jamaican deejays and was the first to introduce "talkovers" over beats. An art form that inspired what later came to be known as "Toasting" and eventually Hip-hop (15 years later). To the uninitiated his form of reggae was quite different from fundamental 'roots reggae' popularised by the likes of Bob Marley & the Wailers. He recruited singers more talented than himself to "toast" over his beats. The most popular of these upcoming singers being Ewart "U-Roy" Beckford. 

U-Roy went on to enjoy a stellar career as an artiste and was generally hailed as the father of Toasting with disciples like Mikey Dread and Yellow Man, Count Matchuki was indeed the grandfather and originator of a genre of reggae that grew into Dub and Dancehall.



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