Linval Thompson: biography of the dancehall pioneer

Linval Thompson was one of the finest reggae singers from the roots renaissance and a very influential figure in the spread and creation of dancehall reggae. Not only was he a singer, but also a writer and pioneering producer whose credits include working with Dennis Brown, the Wailing Souls, Eek-A-Mouse, Freddie McGregor, the Viceroys, and many others. In addition, Thompson is also an entrepreneur who has released many of his own vocal and dub albums independently.

Leval Alphonso Thompson was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1954. As a young teen, he moved to the U.S. to be with his mother in Queens, New York. He studied engineering, but music was his obsession and he wrote his first songs while still in high school.

Linval Thompson began his singing career in the early 1970s with producer Bunny Rugs and later with iconic producers such as Augustus Pablo (“Natty Dread a Pressure Them”) and Lee Perry (“Kung Fu Man”). He moved between the USA and Jamaica. In 1974 he cut some sides for the New York-based Mart’s label including “Weeping and Wailing” and “Jah Jah Deh”. Later in the year, he returned to Jamaica and recorded for Keith Hudson’s associate Keith “Stamma” Hobson.

Thompson’s 1975 album ‘Don’t Cut Off Your Dreadlocks’ was produced by Bunny Lee and sold quite well. This led Thompson to begin to produce his own material, together with his new assistant Henry “Junjo” Lawes. He signed a contract with Trojan Records and in 1978 he released “I Love Marijuana” and its dub version, “Negrea Love Dub”. This successful hit was recorded at the famous Channel One studio, where Thompson was backed by a rhythm section of Rockers’ drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace and the Wailers’ bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett.

By the beginning of the 1980s, reggae was evolving into the DJ-dominated dancehall style. Linval Thompson was already at the forefront, tracking Roots Radics‘ rhythms at Channel One and sending the results to Scientist for mixing. The collaboration resulted in great dub titles like Scientist Meets the Space Invaders (1981) and Scientist Encounters Pac Man (1982). Thompson constructed his own dub versions as well on Negrea Dub, Green Bay Dub, and Outlaw Dub. In 1982, Freddie McGregor scored a hit with the Thompson-engineered “Big Ship (Sailing on the Ocean)”. After this, McGregor launched his own label.

trinity dancehall signed vinyl — Trinity’s autographed vinyl, recorded at Channel One Studio, mixed by Scientist, produced by Linval Thompson.

Although over time the artists that Linval Thompson produced did not all achieve the same level of commercial success throughout the late ’70s and early ’80, albums from DJs Big Joe and Trinity still maintained the classic late ’70s roots feel.

By the 1980s, Linval Thompson did not appreciate the new trend involving digital technology in reggae and focused his attention on real estate. He entered the studio occasionally, reuniting with longtime collaborator Robbie Shakespeare for his 1988 album Starlight.

In the 1990s, classic Thompson material that had been out of print began to be reissued – including Jah Jah Dreader Than Dread, Ride on Dreadlocks and Channel 1 Rockers. The results were a clearer look at a body of work that, at its best, could rival Thompson contemporaries like Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, and Cornel Campbell.

Thompson continued to make occasional concert appearances and recording dates into the 21st century including a pair of double-disc compilations of his lineage productions entitled Linval Presents Dub Landing, Vols. 1 and Vol. 2 in 2018.