Was a man who had a passion for fiddling with sound equipment, and turned that passion into a new musical genre and a veritable art form. He may have started his career as a repairman, but before he was done, his name was one of the most respected around the world. He worked with virtually every artist in Jamaica, and his name on a remix was like gold, a seal of quality that was never questioned. b. Osbourne Ruddock, 28 January 1941, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, d. 6 February 1989, Jamaica, West Indies. King Tubby grew up around High Holborn Street in Central Kingston before moving to the capital's Waterhouse district in 1955. He started repairing radios and by the late 50s had begun to experiment with sound system amplifiers. By 1964 he was operating his own Tubby's Home Town Hi-Fi, where he later incorporated a custom reverb and echo facility into his system. At the same time he was working as disc-cutter for Duke Reid and it was here that he discovered that he could make special versions of well-known rocksteady tunes. By cutting out most of the vocal track, fading it in at suitable points, reducing the mix down to the bass only, and dropping other instrumental tracks in or out, Tubby invented dub. Initially the technique was used for "specials" or dub plates - custom acetates made exclusively for sound system use. The spaces left in the mix allowed sound system DJs to stretch out lyrically, predating the emergence of US rappers by some years. Record producers soon began to see the potential of these versions. Joe Gibbs' engineer, Errol Thompson, working at Randy's Studio 17, had started employing rhythm versions as b-sides by 1971.

Throughout this period Tubby planned to build his own studio, and by 1988 he had begun to issue computer-generated digital music, featuring many of the new-wave ragga singers and DJs, including Pad Anthony, Courtney Melody, Anthony Red Rose, Pliers and Ninjaman, as well as established talents such as Cornell Campbell. Just when it seemed Tubby was poised to challenge top producers such as Jammy and Gussie Clarke, tragedy struck. On 6 February 1989, a lone gunman murdered King Tubby outside his home, the motive apparently robbery. The loss shocked Jamaican music fans and artists. Many innovations, not only in Jamaican music but in other "dance" forms as well - the "dub mix", the practice of DJing extended lyrics over rhythm tracks, the prominence of bass and drums in the mix - were developed by King Tubby, both on his sound system and in the studio during the period 1969-74. His place as a seminal figure in the music's development through three decades is assured. Discography COMPILATIONS: Black Board Jungle (Upsetter 1974)****, Dub From The Roots (Total Sounds 1974)***, The Roots Of Dub (Grounation 1975)****, Shalom Dub (Klik 1975)***, King Tubby Meets the Aggrovators At Dub Station (Live & Love 1975)****, King Tubby Meets The Upsetter At The Grass Roots Of Dub (Fay Music 1975)****, Harry Mudie Meets King Tubby In Dub Conference Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (Mudies 1975/76/77)****, Dubbing With The Observer (Trojan 1975)****, with Augustus Pablo King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (Clocktower 1976)****, King Tubby's Prophecy Of Dub (Prophet 1976)****, Ital Dub (Trojan 1976)***, Beware Dub (Grove Music 1978)***, Rockers Meets King Tubby In A Firehouse (Yard Music 1980)***, Dangerous Dub: King Tubby Meets Roots Radics (Copasetic 1981)****, King Tubby's Presents Soundclash Dubplate Style (Taurus 1989)***, King Tubby's Special 1973-1976 (Trojan 1989)***, Dub Gone Crazy: The Evolution Of Dub At King Tubby's 1975-79 (Blood & Fire 1994)****, Creation Dub (ROIR 1995)***, King Tubby & Friends (Trojan 1996)****, Dub Gone 2 (Blood & Fire 1996)***, The Sound Of Channel One: King Tubby Connection (Motion 1999)***, Dub Like Dirt ) (Blood & Fire 1999)****, King Dub (Nascente 2001)***, Firehouse Revolution: King Tubby's Productions In The Digital Era 1985-89 (Pressure Sounds 2001)****, Meets The Reggae Masters (Jet Star 2002)***, The Roots Of Dub (Moll-Selekta 2003)***, King Tubby's In Fine Style (Trojan 2004)****. Encyclopedia of Popular Music Copyright Muze UK Ltd. Albums King Tubby - full album listing 2003 100% Of Dub 2002 King Tubby Meets Reggae Masters 2001 In The Mix (Classic Dub From The Master) 2001 Foundation Of Dub (28 Tracks Produced By Bunny Lee Essential Dub (Ruff Cuts And Hard Riddims From The Mixmaster) 1999 Dub Like Dirt 1999 King Tubby...at The Controls 1997 Megawatt Dub 1996 Freedom Sounds In Dub 1996 Dangerous Dub 1996 Dub Gone Crazy Vol.2 (Dub Gone 2 Crazy) 1996 Dangerous Dub 1996 Dub Explosion (22 Roots Classics) 1995 Dub Gone Crazy Vol.1 (The Evolution Of Dub At King Tubby's If Deejay Was Your Trade (The Dreads At King Tubby's King Tubby's Special 1973-1976 King Tubby Trilogy Tribute To King Tubby, A (10th Year Commemoration) I Am The King Vol.2 I Am The King Vol.3 Explosive Dub Roots Of Dub King Dub Crucial Dub Lost Treasures Firehouse Revolution (King Tubby's Productions In The Digital Era 1985-1989) Dub Hits From Studio One Fatman Tapes Vol.1, The Dub From The Roots Dub Mix Up (Rare Dubs 1975-1979) King Tubby's In Fine Style Herbs Of Dub Roots & Society Greenwich Farm Rub A Dub I Am The King Vol.1 Meets Scientist At Dub Station Meets Scientist In A World Of Dub Roots Of Dub, The/Dub From The Roots Upset The Upsetters Surrounded By The Dreads At The National Arena Water Dub Dub Organiser, The At The Grass Roots Of Dub Dub Master Vol.1, The Dub Forever Fatman Tapes Vol.2, The Sweeten Dub, A Declaration Of Dub King Tubby In Dub (Bring The Dub Come) Balmagie Jam Rock Majestic Dub