Among hundreds of ska vocals, the Wailers' "Simmer Down" is perhaps the perfect example of how powerful an undercurrent this music could contain. Recording mainly at Federal Records before building and opening his own Studio One on Brentford Road in Kingston, Dodd issued product on a series of sub-labels like Supreme, Downbeat, Iron Side, Money Disc, Winro, Bongo Man and others. Most of his product was released or later reissued under the Coxsone or Studio One imprint.

Because he never puts dates on his records the earliest pressings are sometimes the only way - besides the constantly evolving sound - to fasten down the time period of the original recordings. In the U.K. he issued product on Bamboo and Banana as well as Attack, Trojan and others.

Dodd's Studio One was Jamaica's music school and he employed a long line of bouncers who became engineers and arrangers and then went on to their own productions. Among them were some of the earliest like Prince Buster and best like Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Sylvan Morris and Syd Bucknor both engineered for "Scorcher," another nickname he put where we would put the writers credit on a single. For musicians he employed the island's best. Like the singers whom they backed, they often cut their earliest and best records for Dodd for little remuneration. Having made their name with his productions, they then moved on to Duke Reid, Buster and others for later records.

"All these songs you're hearin' with us were just two-track songs" says singer Ken Boothe of the early days at Studio One. "At first we have to record the same time, singers, musicians, everybody."

Among those who made great records at Studio One are Freddy McKay, an achingly talented singer who seems almost forgotten today, Horace Andy and early duos like Jackie (Edwards) and Doreen (Schaefer), Owen (Gray) & Millie (Small), Larry (Marshall) and Alvin and Alton (Ellis) and Eddie.

Coxsone recorded a diverse bag of music from balladeer Lord Tanamo to Nyahbingi drummer Count Ossie: including calypso, soul, jazz and gospel.
Despite this and his groundwork in ska and rock steady, his name will always be associated with the early days of reggae.

Singer/songwriter Bob Andy began his career at Studio One, first as original lead singer for the Paragons (later replaced by John Holt). His major hits with Dodd include "I've Got To Go Back Home" (with backing vocals by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh) and "Too Experienced," a much-covered tune whose rhythm has become almost community property in Jamaica. He also penned hits like "Feel Like Jumping" for Marcia Griffiths when she recorded for Dodd.