Sound Read: “Rub A Dub Style” Recounts Dancehall’s First Decade

Words by Jesse Serwer, Photos by Beth Lesser—

Tiger and Earl Wire Lindo

The co-founder (with her husband, David Kingston) of ’80s zine Reggae Quarterly, Beth Lesser‘s vast collection of photographs from that period in Jamaican music have formed the basis of books including 1989’s (first dancehall book ever?) King Jammys, which was reissued in 2002 by Canadian publisher ECW Press; Dancehall: The Story of Dancehall Culture, a 2008 collaboration with British record label Soul Jazz; and 2010’s The Legend of Sugar Minott & Youth Promotion.

With her latest book, Rub a Dub Style, Lesser hones in on dancehall’s foundation years, from the period between Bob Marley’s passing in 1981 to the dancehall explosion in the early 90’s. Most importantly, perhaps, it is also free 99. In hopes of sharing the story with a broader audience and fostering greater appreciation of the era’s artists, Lesser is making the book available from her site as a free download, on May 14. In the meantime, preview some of the images below and read the chapter on U-Roy’s Stur-Gav Sound here.

El Figo Barker

Pompidou and General Leon, Jammys Yard, 1986