In the late 1950s Coxsone began recording one-off records to play on his Downbeat Soundsystem, this music he recorded was a Jamaican interpretation of American Rhythm and Blues. He would hire musicians and record in various studios around Kingston.

August 5, 1962 was the day of Jamaican Independence. Ska caught the mood of this period. In 1963 Coxsone opened his own studio at 13 Brentford Road, Kingston. He named the building Studio One and set about defining the future sound of Jamaican music.

By 1965 Ska music was over. The musical mood of the country was changing. Independence had brought Jamaica a new set of issues and the music had to reflect this, heralding the arrival of Rocksteady, which had a slower beat and was based on the emerging Soul music of American artists such as Curtis Mayfield. In 1965 The Skatalites split-up to form two new groups- The Soul Brothers who became the new house-band at Studio One and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics who moved over to rival Duke Reid’s new Treasure Isle studio. Ska, however, had made it’s mark and Jamaican music was now known throughout the world. And despite the brevity of their time together (just over a year!) The Skatalites left behind a legacy of literally hundreds of classic recordings.