Reviewed by Keith S. on March 12, 2013
The tunes on this collection cover the years from 1966 to 1969, the later period of ska & through the early years of reggae and is chuck full of rare rocksteady gems
Ken Lack was a businessman with a passion for music, he started producing music after he had spent a short time as the Skatalites' road manager. One of the more ignored producers on the island (although Bunny Lee handled most of the production) he released a stunning series of 45s on his Caltone label, nearly all of them featuring artists of the first order including The Heptones, The Clarendionians, Ken Boothe, Roy Shirley, The Pioneers, The Emotions (fronted by Max Romeo), and The Diplomats. The riddims for his productions were recorded at WIRL, Federal and Treasure Isle with bands that were led by Lynn Taitt and Tommy McCook, and featured many gifted island musicians. The Caltone label only existed for a few short years because Ken left Jamaica at the beginning of the 1970s. Ken Lack died in 2001 in Miami, Florida, of a heart condition.