From: Dr. Hazel M. Robinson

Date: 2/23/2011

To: letters@gleanerjm.com

Subject: Icons in Music

The  Editor

Sir

Congratulations on the latest " special issue" of the Caribbean Quarterly (CQ) put out by the University of the West Indies.  Mr Mel Cooke has drawn attention to the scholarly approach of the journal in its description of the evolution of Jamaican  popular music.  The musicians who contributed to  the development of drumming, rhythm, lyrics and sound systems from the early years are noted as some of the icons in Jamaican music.

Present day artists, earning millions of dollars,probably know little about their predecessors contributions, or the roots of their music . In addition, today the valuable role of the instrumentalists who accompany the popular vocalists are often overlooked.

Mr Clinton Hutton, as co-editor, together with all the other contributors, and photographers, as well as the  chief editor of CQ should be congratulated for this "special issue".