Roots Archives Forum

Han wrote:and without being in the charts.. it's more difficult to know how much someone sold...

@Hans

That's another good thread topic, but that info is impossible to get. Artists tell you that the producer robbed them, producers tell you that distributors robbed them. According to Neville Lee, it seems that the general view is that the biggest selling Jamaican 45 was Justin Hines "Carrie Go Bring Come" at approx 50,000 copies.

Many people would be suprised how many songs that are thought of as "big hits" really weren't that big in terms of sales (maybe in influence...). Many artists would see those BE charts with their song in the top three, and assume it was selling copies similar to how the top three pop records were selling. Of course in so many cases artists didn't get the "right" royalties, but the story of artist theft in JA, while real, also includes an element of over-inflated expectations, partially because of charts that had records "placed".

Dave K wrote: According to Neville Lee, it seems that the general view is that the biggest selling Jamaican 45 was Justin Hines "Carrie Go Bring Come" at approx 50,000 copies.

Heavy tune at least!
I cant believe, "Israelites" hasnt reached that amount... Maybe Jamaican pressed single? Bust Justin Hinds was sold on Island UK as " The Charms" too... so I really wonder about that... even my father had a 45 copy of israelites and he wasnt at all reggae addicted.

@Litelet

Yes, these are "pressed in JA" sales....many many reggae songs and LPs have sold more than that on non-JA pressings. One Mr. Marley immediately comes to mind as an example, as does "Isrealites", "Ace Of Base" (just kidding on the last one....).

Don't know how legit they are, but Kevin O'Brien Chang & Wayne Chen have a set of Jamaican charts at the back of their REGGAE ROUTES: THE STORY OF JAMAICAN MUSIC. They're inclusive from around 1960 (if I'm remembering right) to mid-90's.

The book is intensionally quirky, idiosyncratic, and opinionated (according to their analysis, Papa Levi's "Mi God, Mi King" is overrated and boring, for example, and Toots is consistently rated above all others), but it does have the distinction of actually being written by two Jamaicans...

I would like to know how much they sold and which countries they sold the most music like Jimmy Cliff who was given the Order of Merit, the highest possible honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government or Yellowman the second largest selling reggae star next to Bob Marley.

You can try www backnumbers .They site at Cecil Road in London. They trade old music papers.Many about rock'n roll. But also have old & reprints of BM REVIEW (Black music & jazz review).This magazine deals with reggae too.
Sometimes they also have "MASSIVE".This lasted some years in the 80s but only talk about reggae music.
They sometimes have the 30-year existing "BLACK ECHOES" .A genuine weekly newspaper that turns into a monthly glossy magazine today.This is the very best as they reported every little gig that happened in the black music field throughout the world.
Good luck !

Thank U everyone for help!
It is obvious that radio charts were sold to producers, but I actualy think, that Jamaicans themself didn't buy a lot of records, and mostly listened to the radio or soundsystems. Ok, let's say the big poor part of Jamaicans, cause I think they just couldn't afford a player n stuff. Maybe I'm wrong, I was born in the middle of the 80's and had never been in Jamaica )