Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong | |
---|---|
Born | Kingston, Jamaica | 20 December 1933
Died | 9 August 1971 Kingston, Jamaica | (aged 37)
Genres | Ska, rocksteady, reggae |
Occupation(s) | Record producer |
Years active | 1962–1971 |
Labels | Beverley's |
Leslie Kong (20 December 1933 – 9 August 1971)[1] was a Jamaican reggae producer.[2]
Early life
Kong was born into a Chinese-Jamaican family.[3] He had a "relatively comfortable upbringing" and attended St. George's College in Kingston.[4]
Career
Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston.[5] In 1961, he encountered a young Jimmy Cliff outside of his shop singing a song he had written called "Dearest Beverley", in the hopes that the mention of the establishment would convince Kong to record him.[6] This encounter led Kong to launch his own record label, Beverley's, and to record Cliff's song, launching Cliff's career in the process.[1]
Cliff took on an
Kong is known for being the first Jamaican producer to get international hits with long-time collaborator
Other vocalists who recorded for him and the Beverley's label include
Kong makes a cameo appearance in the Jamaican film The Harder They Come, playing a recording engineer in a scene in which Jimmy Cliff's character watches a studio recording session, by Toots and the Maytals, of the song "Sweet and Dandy" (Kong was the actual producer of that recording).
Kong's plans to release a compilation album of tracks from the singles he produced by the Wailers led to Bunny Wailer allegedly threatening Kong with a curse, telling him that if he issued the record he would die.[6] Kong went ahead with the release in 1970.[6]
Kong died of a heart attack, aged 37, in August 1971.[1][5]
Discography
- Various Artists – Original Reggae Hot Shots – 1969 – Beverley's/Trojan (1975)
- Various Artists – King Size Reggae – 1970 – Beverley's
- Various Artists – Golden Hits by the Greats – 1970 – Beverley's
- Various Artists – Reggae Chartbusters – 1970 – Beverley's
- Various Artists – King Size Reggae – 1970 – Trojan Records
- Various Artists – Hot Shots of Reggae – 1970 – Trojan Records
- Various Artists – Best of Beverley's Records 1969–1970 – Trojan Records (1981)
- Various Artists – The Best of Beverley's Records or Masterpieces From The Works of Leslie Kong – Island Records/Trojan (1981)
- Various Artists – The King Kong Compilation – Island Records (1981)
- Various Artists – Leslie Kong's Connection Vol 01 – 1969–1971 – Jet Set Records
- Various Artists – Leslie Kong's Connection Vol 02 – 1969–1971' – Jet Set Records
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ankeny, Jason (9 August 1971). "Leslie Kong – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ^ 'Leslie Kong' – Writing & Arrangement, Discogs.com
- ^ North, Reggae (10 February 2023). "Leslie Kong". Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Leslie Kong". Trojan Records. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Leslie Kong's reggae pioneer – Entertainment". JamaicaObserver.com. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4027-8583-2, p. 146
- ^ Sherman, Matthew. "The Rise of Reggae and the Influence of Toots and the Maytals." The Rise of Reggae, and the Influence of Toots and the Maytals. The Dread Library, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/sherman.html