The
label was started in 1960 by Emile E. Shalit, owner of Melodisc Records
Company.
He
placed Sigimund "Siggy" Jackson in charge of the label, with Jackson choosing
the name Blue Beat, which was an adaptation of "blues beat", a term for
Jamaican blues music.
When
the ska rhythm slowed to rocksteady in 1966, Melodisc decided that a new
label was needed, and started the FAB label, with no new releases on Blue
Beat after 1967.
The
back catalogue continued to sell for several years.
The
Blue Beat label was revived in 1972 for the release of John Holt's "OK
Fred" (BB 424). |