Winston “Merritone” Blake
Winston Blake’s 62-year-old Merritone Disco is the oldest active sound system in Jamaica, and the first sound system to tour outside of Jamaica. Blake is credited with breaking down the social barriers in Jamaican music, as his Meritone Disco was the first sound system to play in a hotel, university campus and on a unionized bandstand in various clubs around the island, when bands were the order of the day. After becoming more influential in breaking new records than radio, Blake eventually developed Merritone into a record label for other producers wanting to get their music out, and also produced and recorded his own material. His Merritone Talent Series, meanwhile helped launch the careers of a great many Jamaican entertainers, including Beres Hammond.—Sherman Escoffery