Wake the Town
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| "Wake the Town" | |
|---|---|
| Single by U-Roy | |
| Released | 1970 |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Songwriter(s) | U-Roy, Reid |
"Wake the Town" is a reggae song recorded by Jamaican toaster U-Roy in 1970. It was U-Roy's first big hit and one of the songs that established U-Roy as the grandfather of the modern deejay phenomenon.[1] It also helped create dancehall style in Jamaica.[1]
The recording that led to the single was initiated when John Holt attended a sound system party, and heard U-Roy deejay. Holt convinced U-Roy and producer Duke Reid to hook up, and have U-Roy talk-over some of Reid's Treasure Island rocksteady classics. U-Roy recorded "Wake the Town" (and another hit, "Rule the Nation"), using his talk-over style, from start to finish without any restarts.[2]
"Wake the Town" quickly went to number one on Jamaica's pop music charts, along with "Rule the Nation" at number two,[2] and many other deejays began to adopt his style.[3] These two songs, along with "Wear You to the Ball", established U-Roy as a dancehall star[1] and helped create the deejay sound. Dennis Alcapone said of the song, "When U-Roy come with 'Wake the Town' it's like a new Jamaica was born".[4]