Before reggae
Val Blake established Merritone in 1950 in Morant Bay. After his death, his sons continued the sound, later moving to Kingston. Its beginnings precede reggae: Winston Blake recalled dance floors shaped by rhythm and blues, calypso, mento and country records. The breadth of that selection is a useful entry point into Merritone’s identity.
A home for the sound
The Blake brothers opened Kingston’s Turntable Club in 1972. A permanent club gave the sound another setting, linking record selection, live performance and a returning audience. Merritone’s history therefore belongs alongside both mobile sound systems and the listening spaces that gather communities around music.
Follow the family archive
Merritone’s video history explores the organisation’s musical heritage.
Maker film
Merritone Music — Prince Edwards
Prince Edwards recalls meeting Winston Blake.