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b. 19 November 1940, Morant Bay, Jamaica, West Indies. Blake was initially drawn towards music when he witnessed the birth of the sound systems in Kingston where he was educated. His interest was also motivated owing to the fact that his father supplemented the family income by selling radios and amplifiers in Morant Bay. His father’s involvement in the phonographic industry resulted in Blake senior setting up the Mighty Merritone sound system. By 1956 Blake junior and his brother Errol ‘Monte’ had inherited the sound, and by the mid-60s the brothers were securing permanent bookings in a variety of Kingston nightclubs. Blake was also involved in producing a series of hits notably ‘Take It Easy’ by Hopeton Lewis. In 1972 he opened the Turntable Club which has earned legendary status through the subsequent release of Live At The Turntable Club in the UK. The compilation was the first legitimate recording of a live concert in Jamaica that featured performances from Delroy Wilson, Dennis Brown and Big Youth. While Blake promoted his club and sound system he also recorded a series of minor hits as a vocalist. His debut, ‘Cambodia’, was produced by Harry J. , which subsequently proved a dancehall favourite in the UK following its inclusion on the Reggae Movement compilation. The follow-up was the Lloyd Daley -produced ‘Especially For You’, subsequently a prized collectors item. In 1974 Blake appeared as Judge Winchester on the Lee Perry hit, ‘Public Jestering’, a role he repeated on the follow-up, ‘Darkness Falls On The City’, although these cameos concluded his DJ career. Blake returned to the role of a producer and enjoyed particular success with I. Roy. Though Blake’s recording career appeared to be a momentary event he remained a seminal figure in the Jamaican music industry through club and artist management. In October 1997 he was honoured with The Order Of Distinction for his contribution to Jamaica’s entertainment industry and remains a well-regarded cohort in the development of reggae. One of the artists he managed was his wife Cynthia Schloss, who since her death in February 1999 has been celebrated by a series of memorial concerts. The tributes featured Jamaica’s top musicians, including Freddie McGregor who had recorded the chart-topping duet ‘Not As Happy’ with her in 1989.