The record store holds a special place in reggae music. In Jamaica it was the norm to have people spend time asking to hear side after side of the vinyl singles before they made their purchases. Like the barber shops on Eglinton Ave. West now act as a social hub, so too did the record stores selling reggae records in the 1970s and 1980s. Toronto had numerous record stores that provided a central meeting point for those interested in Jamaican music. As in Jamaica the stores in Toronto also housed record labels, with some of them even having the studio in the back room office space.
The project now has over 150 locations plotted on Google Maps. This will provide the foundation for the GPS portion of the app when the project is complete.
Check it out, let us know if there are any errors or omissions. We’ll be seeking ‘peer reviews’ on a lot of what we do.
Remember this is us showing you our work in progress, so please keep feedback to facts, locations, people, that kind of thing, not how things look.
Legend for Toronto’s reggae locations:
= Record Store
= Record Store and Record Label
= Record Label
= Recording Studio
= Recording Studio and Record Label
= Miscellaneous Locations
= Live Venue
Reggae Toronto is using GPS technology, traditional research methods and interviews to capture the places of importance to Toronto’s reggae history. When complete the project will allow you to use your smartphone to find places that no longer exist, places where hundreds of people used to sing, dance or meet while reggae music filled the air.
The list below is just a sampling of the places that are mentioned or included in the Reggae Toronto project.
- Great Shakes Studio
- Monica’s Beauty Salon & George’s Record Store
- Blue Angel
- Half Moon Studios
- Phase One
- Brok Boy
- Jamrock
- Record Peddler
- Caribana Club
- Jane St. Records
- Ronnie Bop
- Record Corner
- Carnival Records
- S&W Soul King
- Classic Sounds
- Club Jamaica
- Kinck Sounds
- Summer Records Studio
- Comfort Studio
- King Culture
- The Bamboo
- Tiger’s Den
- Gemini / Record Factory
- Masonic Temple
- Trejah Isle
- Tropical Records
Reggae Toronto 